Menu

James 4:5 — Word Study

Depth

N1904 δοκεῖτε ὅτι κενῶς γραφὴ λέγει; πρὸς φθόνον ἐπιποθεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα κατῴκισεν ἐν ἡμῖν,

BSAOrē [do you suppose] think youdokeō thathoti in vainkenōs [in vain, to no purpose] theho Scripturegraphē [holy Writings, God's written word] speaks?legō Withpros envyphthonos [jealousy, a strong desire] yearnsepipotheō [longs, earnestly desires] theho Spiritpneuma [the divine breath, God's presence] thathos, hē he settledkatoikeō inen us,egō

Word
Listen & take awayJames 4
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 5 is in this chapter.
Say the word Each Greek word carries its transliteration (egō) — no per-word recordings of the Greek exist to link to.
Take it away
James 4:5quick helps
In a sentenceJames warns against thinking that Scripture speaks without purpose regarding the Spirit's yearning in us.
Who is speakingJames, addressing believers about their relationship with God and the world.
Where we areIn a passage discussing the conflict between worldly desires and God's grace.
The hard wordφθόνον
Take awayThe Spirit within us has a deep longing that should not be overlooked.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subject verbδοκέω The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the New Testament

1 of 16 occurs nowhere else in the New Testament — a word chosen on purpose.

Bars are logarithmic — , the commonest word in the Greek New Testament, stands 19,867 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — James 4:5

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — Conflict Between Worldliness and Gracegenerated

4You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.
5Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy?
6But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:5 addresses the tension between friendship with the world and the grace of God. James uses strong language to describe those who are unfaithful to God, warning that such a friendship makes one an enemy of God. He emphasizes that the Spirit, which God has placed within believers, longs for a relationship that is not compromised by worldly desires. This passage serves as a reminder of the seriousness of spiritual fidelity and the transformative power of God's grace.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1John 7:42Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived? ”
2John 10:35If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken—
3John 19:37And, as another Scripture says: “They will look on the One they have pierced.”
4Romans 9:17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
5Galatians 3:8The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and foretold the gospel to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”

The Key Word φθόνον, phthonosgenerated

The word φθόνος (i.e., *phthonos*) refers to envy or jealousy, indicating a strong emotional response towards someone else's good fortune. It conveys a sense of longing that can lead to ill-will when one feels deprived of what others have.

In this context, it reflects the Spirit's intense desire for our loyalty and devotion, emphasizing that this longing is not without purpose. The Spirit's yearning signifies a deep relational aspect of God's presence within us.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against. The BSB uses envy for φθόνον, which is consistent with other translations like the KJV and ASV.

However, some translations differ in their rendering of γραφὴ. The BBE opts for holy writings, while the others refer to it as Scripture. Additionally, the BBE uses for nothing in place of in vain found in the BSB and others.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The verse is structured around a main verb, δοκεῖτε, think you, which governs the entire sentence. It introduces a rhetorical question about the purpose of Scripture, leading into a subordinate clause that explains what Scripture says.

The subject of the main clause is implied, as it is directed at the audience, and the object is the content of Scripture concerning the Spirit's yearning. The prepositional phrase ἐν ἡμῖν specifies where the Spirit dwells.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

γραφὴ is a term that appears in the Septuagint, referring to sacred writings or Scripture. It is often used to denote the authority of the texts that believers are expected to follow.

In the Septuagint, πνεῦμα corresponds to the Hebrew רוּחַ, which also means spirit or breath, indicating a continuity in the understanding of the divine presence across both Testaments.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

James 4:5 warns that Scripture does not speak without purpose. It emphasizes that the Spirit God placed in us has a strong desire for our loyalty, urging us to be aware of our relationship with the world and to seek God's grace.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean that the Spirit yearns with envy?

It means that the Spirit desires a close relationship with us and is jealous of our divided loyalties, urging us to remain faithful to God.

Why does James refer to Scripture in this context?

James uses Scripture to highlight the seriousness of spiritual fidelity and to remind believers that God's word addresses the inner conflicts they face.

How can we respond to the Spirit's yearning?

We can respond by seeking a deeper relationship with God, prioritizing our spiritual lives over worldly desires, and accepting His grace.

What does it mean to be a friend of the world?

Being a friend of the world refers to aligning oneself with worldly values and desires that conflict with God's will, making one an enemy of God.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways do I see the Spirit's yearning in my own life?
  2. How can I ensure that I am not compromising my relationship with God by pursuing worldly desires?
  3. What steps can I take to deepen my understanding of Scripture and its relevance to my life?
  4. How can I encourage others to recognize the importance of their relationship with God?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Early Church Fathers comment on this verse to highlight the Spirit's yearning for our fidelity to God and the implications of Scripture's teachings.

Severian of GabalaCATENA d. after 408
What this means is that the Spirit in us tends toward fellowship with God. He turns us away from the love of the world and gives us ever more grace.
Early Church Fathers on James 4 →
OecumeniusCommentary on James 6th c.
Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, or out of envy? That the spirit desires which dwells in you? But he gives a greater grace? This signifies something through these means, through the lack of using language,
Early Church Fathers on James 4 →
BedeCommentary on the Catholic Epistles c. 673–735
Do you think that the Scripture says uselessly? Namely, that Scripture which, restraining the faithful from the society of evildoers, thus speaks through Moses: You shall not make a covenant with them, nor with their gods.
Early Church Fathers on James 4 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on James 4:5 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain?.... Some think that the apostle refers to a particular passage of Scripture in the Old Testament, and that he took it from Genesis 6:3 as some; or from

Read John Gill on James 4 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? In vain - no Scripture can be so.

Read Robert Jamieson on James 4 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain? Greek, emptily, or vainly, i.e. to no purpose. This question hath the force of a negation, q.d. It doth not speak in vain. Question. What is it which the Scripture doth not speak in vain? Answer. Either those truths he had been speaking of before, particularly in the former verse, that the friendship of the world is enmity with God; or, that which follows in this verse, the spirit that dwelleth in us, & c. The spirit that dwelleth in us; either the Spirit of God, who is said to dwell in believers, ,17; or the spirit of men, viz. as defiled by sin, and acted by the devil, who works in men while children of disobedience; and then it is the same as…

Read Matthew Poole on James 4 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? Ver. 5. That the Scripture saith in vain] No, it doth not only say, but do; not only convince us that an evil and an envious spirit possesseth us (such a spirit as lusteth to have other men’ s abilities eclipsed, that so our candle might shine alone), but also it giveth more grace; it not only convinceth, but converteth the soul, Psalms 19:7. It causeth a man to rejoice heartily in the good parts of others; and this is more than to excel others in any excellence if this be wanting.

Read John Trapp on James 4 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(5) Do ye think . . .?—The tone of the Apostle is changed to one of appeal, which, perhaps (but see below), may be rendered thus: Suppose ye that the Scripture saith in vain, The (Holy) Spirit that dwelleth in us jealously regards us as His own? Our Authorised version does not allow of this apparent reference to the Spirit of God indwelling His human temples (1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19, et seq.) for “lusteth to envy,” or enviously, would imply evil and not good. It were well that the unfaithful, addressed in James 4:4, should bear the general sentiment of this verse in mind, and not fancy such warnings of holy writ were uttered emptily, in vain.Many commentators have been…

Read Charles John Ellicott on James 4 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

5. the spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?] The words present a two-fold difficulty: (1) They are quoted as Scripture, and yet no such words are found either in the Canonical or even in the Apocryphal Books of the Old Testament. (2) It is by no means clear what they mean in themselves, or what is their relation to the context. If we can determine the latter point, it may, perhaps, help us in dealing with the former, (a) The better MSS., it may be noted, to begin with, give a different reading of the first words: The Spirit which he planted (or made to dwell) in us. If we adopt this reading, it makes it all but absolutely certain that what is predicated of the Spirit must be good…

Read Cambridge on James 4 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain - Few passages of the New Testament have given expositors more perplexity than this.

Read Albert Barnes on James 4 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

5. This second question suggests that (in accordance with all Scripture) the proud human spirit burns with envy, while God in his grace is on the side of the humble.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on James 4 →

The verse in English, compared — 16 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy?

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously”?

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit who dwells in us yearns with envy?

NETBNew English Translation2006

Or do you think the scripture means nothing when it says, “The spirit that God caused to live within us has an envious yearning”?

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Or think ye that the scripture speaketh in vain? Doth the spirit which he made to dwell in us long unto envying?

RVARevised Version, American1894

Or think ye that the scripture speaketh in vain? Doth the spirit which he made to dwell in us long unto envying?

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Doe ye thinke that the Scripture sayeth in vaine, The spirit that dwelleth in vs, lusteth after enuie?

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Think ye that the scripture speaks in vain? Does the Spirit which has taken his abode in us desire enviously?

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

Do ye think that emptily the Writing saith, 'To envy earnestly desireth the spirit that did dwell in us,'

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

Or, do you think that the Writing says emptily, “The Spirit that has dwelt in us yearns with envy,”

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Or do you think the scripture says in vain, “The Spirit he caused to live in us is deeply jealous”?

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Or do you think that the scripture saith in vain: To envy doth the spirit covet which dwelleth in you?

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Do you think Scripture doesn't mean what it says: that the spirit that he put in us is very jealous?

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Or does it seem to you that it is for nothing that the holy Writings say, The spirit which God put into our hearts has a strong desire for us?

Word by word, the decisions they made

γραφὴgraphē Scripture G1124 2 different renderings
scriptureASV BSB DBY DRA FBV GNV KJV MSB NETB NWB RVA ULB WEB
holy writingsBBE
λέγει;legō speaks? G3004 2 different renderings
saysBSB FBV LSV MSB NETB ULB WEB
sayBBE
φθόνονphthonos envy G5355 2 different renderings
envyBSB DRA KJV LSV MSB NWB YLT
a strong desireBBE

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the Nestle 1904 treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clauseOrclauseverbδοκεῖτεthink youclauseὅτιthatclauseadverbialκενῶςin vainnoun phrase · subjecttheγραφὴScriptureverbλέγειsaysclauseprepositional phrase · adverbialΠρὸςWithφθόνονenvyverbἐπιποθεῖyearnsnoun phrase · objectτὸthenoun phraseπνεῦμαSpiritclauseobjectthatverbκατῴκισενHe has made to dwellprepositional phrase · adverbialἐνinἡμῖνus

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The earliest translations — Latin and Syriac

Every translation is an argument about meaning made by someone who had to commit to one. These two were made while the Greek was still a living language, and they are the oldest opinions we have about what this verse says.

Latin VulgateAD 382–405

An putatis quia inaniter Scriptura dicat : Ad invidiam concupiscit spiritus qui habitat in vobis ?

Jerome revised the Old Latin against the Greek from AD 382; the Latin west read this text for a thousand years.

Syriac Peshittaby AD 400

ܐܘ ܕܠܡܐ ܣܪܝܩܐܝܬ ܣܒܪܝܢ ܐܢܬܘܢ ܕܐܡܪ ܟܬܒܐ ܕܒܛܢܢܐ ܪܓܐ ܪܘܚܐ ܕܥܡܪܐ ܒܢ

The Bible of the Syriac-speaking church, in the language nearest to the Aramaic Jesus spoke.

Shown verse by verse rather than word by word: aligning a Greek word to its Latin or Syriac counterpart automatically would be guesswork, and a wrong alignment is worse than none.


The Greek editions compared — what the manuscripts actually say

Eight printed editions of the Greek New Testament, side by side. Where they agree the wording is settled; where a word is missing from an edition it is marked, so you can see the difference rather than take it on trust.

Nestle-Aland 28th edition2012 · Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft

δοκεῖτε ὅτι κενῶς γραφὴ λέγει; πρὸς φθόνον ἐπιποθεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα κατῴκισεν ἐν ἡμῖν,

The standard critical text of the New Testament.

Nestle-Aland 27th edition1993 · Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft

δοκεῖτε ὅτι κενῶς γραφὴ λέγει; πρὸς φθόνον ἐπιποθεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα κατῴκισεν ἐν ἡμῖν,

The previous edition, still widely cited.

SBL Greek New Testament2010 · Michael Holmes

δοκεῖτε ὅτι κενῶς γραφὴ λέγει; πρὸς φθόνον ἐπιποθεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα κατῴκισεν ἐν ἡμῖν,

The Society of Biblical Literature edition, freely licensed.

Westcott–Hort1881 · Westcott and Hort

δοκεῖτε ὅτι κενῶς γραφὴ λέγει; πρὸς φθόνον ἐπιποθεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα κατῴκισεν ἐν ἡμῖν,

The edition that turned scholarship toward the earliest manuscripts.

Tregelles1857–1879 · Samuel Prideaux Tregelles

δοκεῖτε ὅτι κενῶς γραφὴ λέγει; πρὸς φθόνον ἐπιποθεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα κατῴκισεν ἐν ἡμῖν,

An independent critical text built from the oldest witnesses then known.

Tyndale House Greek NT2017 · Tyndale House, Cambridge

δοκεῖτε ὅτι κενῶς γραφὴ λέγει; πρὸς φθόνον ἐπιποθεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα κατῴκισεν ἐν ἡμῖν,

A recent critical edition following documentary evidence closely.

Byzantine majority text2018 · Robinson–Pierpont

δοκεῖτε ὅτι κενῶς γραφὴ λέγει; πρὸς φθόνον ἐπιποθεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐν ἡμῖν,

The reading of the majority of surviving manuscripts.

Textus Receptus1550/1894 lineage

δοκεῖτε ὅτι κενῶς γραφὴ λέγει; πρὸς φθόνον ἐπιποθεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐν ἡμῖν,

The printed tradition behind the King James Version.

Every witness on this verse they differ
Critical editions
Nestle-Aland 28th edition2012Nestle-Aland 27th edition1993SBL Greek New Testament2010Westcott–Hort1881Tregelles1857–1879Tyndale House Greek NT2017
Byzantine / Majority
Byzantine majority text2018
Received Text
Textus Receptus1550/1894

A witness that read differently would show its variant word here, marked.

Word by word, across the editions

WordEditions carrying itMissing from
κατῴκισεν he settledNA28, NA27, Tyn, SBL, WH, TregTR, Byz

The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Greek New Testament — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

James 4:5OrOrδοκέωthink youthink youδοκέωὅτιthatthatὅτικενῶςin vainin vainκενῶςthetheγραφήScriptureScriptureγραφήλέγωspeaks?speaks?λέγωπρόςWithWithπρόςφθόνοςenvyenvyφθόνοςἐπιποθέωyearnsyearnsἐπιποθέωthetheπνεῦμαSpiritSpiritπνεῦμαὅςthatthatὅςκατωκησενhe settledhe settledκατωκησενἐνininἐνημινus,us,ημινκενόςAdj empty,Adj empty, vainκενόςἐπίPrep. on, Prep. on, to, aἐπίπνέωv. I blowv. I blowπνέωἤδηAdv now, aAdv now, alreadἤδηἤπερDisj.prt. Disj.prt. thanἤπερδείκνυμιv. I pointv. I point out,δείκνυμιὅστιςRel.pr. whRel.pr. whosoevὅστιςφημίv. I sayv. I sayφημίπρόPrep. befoPrep. beforeπρόφθείρωv. I corruv. I corrupt, sφθείρωArticle thArticle theοὗAdv where,Adv where, whitοὗεἰςPrep. intoPrep. into, in,εἰςἐκPrep. fromPrep. from out,ἐκἀδελφήn.f. a sisn.f. a sisterἀδελφήἀποκτείνωv. I put tv. I put to deaἀποκτείνωτὶςIndef.pr. Indef.pr. any oτὶςοἶδαv. I know,v. I know, remeοἶδα
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in James 4:5

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Greek lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. Imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, the full Liddell-Scott-Jones, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate LSJ, Robinson and Packard on the Greek, Webster and Cawdrey on the English the translators were using. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

Or think you that in vain the Scripture speaks? With envy yearns the Spirit that he settled in us,
ē Or G2228 Particle
343× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in James than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
Or is a word used to show a choice between two things, like in Matthew 5:17 where it's either obey God's law or not. It's also used to compare things, like in Romans 1:21 where it's one thing or another.
Amplified meaning
do you suppose
Tyndale gloss
or
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word (ē) is a particle used to indicate distinction, functioning as a disjunctive 'or' and a comparative 'than.' It appears frequently in the New Testament, often in phrases like 'either...or' and in disjunctive questions. Notably, it can also express comparisons after comparative terms, such as in Matthew 10:15. The entries do not show any significant disagreement.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ἤ, disjunctive and comparative particle (Bl., §36, 12; 77, 11);

disjunctive, or;

between single words: Mt 5:17, Mk 6:56, Lk 2:24, Jo 6:19, Ro 1:21, al.;

before a sentence expressing a variation, denial or refutation of a previous statement, freq. in interrog. form: Mt 7:4, 9, Mk 12:14, Lk 13:4, Ro 3:29 6:3 9:21, I Co 6:9, 16 9:6, II Co 11:7; ἢ . . . ἤ…

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Χριστοῦ (NVWT ΒΗ Targ. Jonath. ad ᾿ς lili. 10), the kingdom of the Messiah, which will be founded by God through the Messiah and over which the Messiah will preside as God’s vicegerent; ἡ Bac. τῶν οὐρανῶν, only in Matthew, but very frequently [some 33 times], the kingdom of heaven, i. e. the kingdom which is of heavenly or divine origin and nature (in rabbin. writ. nown mao is the rule of God, the theocracy viewed universally, not the Messianic kingdom); sometimes simply ἡ βασιλεία : Mt. iv. 23, ete.; Jas. ii. 5; once ἡ Bac. τοῦ Δαυείδ, because it was supposed the Messiah would be one of David’s descendants and a king very like David, Mk. xi. 10; once also ἡ Bac. τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ θεοῦ, Eph. ν. 5. Relying principally on the prophecies of Daniel — who had declared it to be the purpose of God that, after four vast and mighty kingdoms had succeeded one another and the last of…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

ἢ μή. The general distinction between οὐ and μή is that οὐ is objective, dealing only with facts, while μή is sudjectize, involving will and thought. But in late Greek μή has encroached very largely upon οὐ, with the result that in the NT οὐ is almost entirely confined to the indicative, while μή monopolizes the other moods (but see I. 5). A few exx. of some of the many uses of μή will make this clear. I. Μή negatives (1) the conjunctive (a) after ἐάν (4v)—P Oxy II. 294%? (A.D. 22) (= Selections, p. 36), where certain men are confined to prison, ἐὰν μή τι πίσωσι τὸν ἀρχιστάτορα δο[ῦν]αι etk(= ἱκ)ανόν, ‘* unless indeed they shall persuade the chief usher to give security,’’ BGU II. 5301” \i/a.D.) (= Selections, p. 61) alav (/. ἐὰν) μὴ ἔλθῃς, κινδυνεύω ἐκστῆvat od ἔχω [κλή]ρου, “if you do not come I run the risk of losing the lot (of land) which I possess ”—a father writes to Selections…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ἤ (ē) — or.

ἤ,

Epic dialect also ἠέ (in signification [Refs 4th c.BC+], conjunction with two chief senses, Disj. (or) and comparative (than).

__A DISJUNCTIVE, or, ἐγὼ.. ἢ ἄλλος Ἀχαιῶν [Refs 8th c.BC+]; θεόσυτος ἢ βρότειος ἢ κεκραμένη [Refs 4th c.BC+]

__A.2 ἢ.. ἤ either.. or, ἢ νῦν δηθύνοντ᾽ ἢ ὕστερον αὖτις ἰόντα [Refs 8th c.BC+], etc.; so ἢ.. ἤτοι.. [Refs 5th c.BC+] is emphasized, later no distinction is implied, [NT+2nd c.BC+]; ἤ repeated any number of times, ἐγὼ δέ κεν αὐτὸς ἕλωμαι ἢ τεὸν ἢ Αἴαντος ἰὼν γέρας ἢ Ὀδυσῆος [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἤ is probably wrongly accented in codices of [Refs 8th c.BC+] adverb [Refs 4th c.BC+]

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

e

a primary particle of distinction between two connected terms;

disjunctive, or; comparative, than:--and, but (either), (n-)either,

except it be, (n-)or (else), rather, save, than, that, what, yea.

Often used in connection with other particles. Compare especially

2235, 2260, 2273.

see GREEK for 2235

see GREEK for 2260

see GREEK for 2273

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

Disj.prt.

or, than

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἤ ē 343x

can function as a conj (298x), either, or, Mt. 6:24; after comparatives, and ἄλλος, ἕτερος, expressed or implied, than, Mt. 10:15; 18:8; Acts 17:21; 24:21; intensive after ἀλλά and πρίν, Lk. 12:51; Mt. 1:18; it also serves to point an interrogation, Rom. 3:29

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Particle — Particle
particle — a small word colouring the clause; it does not decline.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

PRT PaRTicle, disjunctive particle

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

or: The word is used once for either (1Sa 26:10), and is still in poetic use in this sense; as in, "Without or wave or wind" (Coleridge); "Or the bakke or some bone he breketh in his dzouthe" (Piers Plowman (B), VII, 93; compare Merchant of Venice, III, ii, 65). It is also used with "ever" for before (Ps 90:2; Ecclesiasticus 18:19), which the American Standard Revised Version substitutes in Ec 12:6 (compare 12:1,2); So 6:12; Da 6:24.

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
84%or
or84% · 304×than13% · 47×other renderings4% · 13×

364 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 9 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
adverbial20%object18%subject12%predicate7%verb4%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 343 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
σύ
πρόςχείρa handἁμαρτίαa sin
πατήρfather, Father, ance
Article theκακολογέωI speak evil of,Disj
εἰμίI am, exist
οὐρανόςthe sky, the heaἀνεκτόςendurable, tolerθεόςGod, a god
αὐτός
πατήρfather, Father, υἱόςa son, descendenβοῦςan ox
ἀδελφόςa brother
DisjArticle theἐάνCond
Or343×
what comes after →
Article the
μήτηρa motherπόλιςa cityδύο
τίςIrg
πίνωI drink, imbibeεἰμίI am, existλαλέωI speak, say
οὐNeg
οἶδαI know, rememberἀναγινώσκωI readδίδωμιI offer, give
ἐν
φυλακήa watching, guarτίςIrgποῖοςIrg
καίand, even, also, nam
ἰχθύςa fishαἰτέωI ask, request, πρός

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordance · 343× in the New Testament
Matthew 1 Corinthians Luke Acts Mark Romans 2 Corinthians John 1 Peter Galatians James Ephesians

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament24 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 457 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Or think you that in vain the Scripture speaks? With envy yearns the Spirit that he settled in us,
δοκεῖτεdokeō think you G1380 Verb · present · active · indicative · second person · plural
62× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in James than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
To think means to have an opinion or suppose something, as in Matthew 24:44 and Luke 12:40. It involves having a thought or idea about something, which may or may not be true.
Tyndale gloss
to think
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

δοκέω is a verb meaning to think, suppose, or seem, derived from the notion of opinion. It appears in various contexts in the New Testament, often indicating subjective judgment or perception, such as in Matthew 3:9 and Luke 10:36. The entries suggest it can also imply a sense of reputation or being reputed, as seen in Galatians 2:6. There is a noted distinction in usage between δοκέω and related terms like ἡγέομαι and νομίζω, which convey different nuances of belief and judgment.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

δοκέω, -ῶ

(< δόκος, opinion, < δέκομαι, Ion, form of δέχ-),

[in LXX for טוֹב, נָדַב, etc. ;]

to be of opinion, suppose: Mt 24:44, Lk 12:40, He 10:29; c. inf., Mt 3:9, Lk 8:18 24:37, Jo 5:39 16:2, Ac 12:9 27:13, I Co 3:18 7:40 8:2 10:12 14:37, Ga 6:3, Phl 3:4, Ja 1:26; c. acc et inf., I Co 12:23, II Co 11:16; seq. ὅτι, Mt 6:7 26:53, Mk 6:49,

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

δοκέω, -ὥ ; impf. ἐδόκουν ; 1 aor. ἔδοξα ; (akin to δέχομαι or δέκομαι, whence δόκος an assumption, opinion, [οἵ. Lat. decus, decet, dignus; Curtius § 15; cf. his Das Verbum, i. pp. 376, 3821}; [fr. Hom. down]; 1. to be of opinion, think, suppose : foll. by ace. with inf., Mk. vi. 49 [RG L Tr]; 2 Co. xi. 16; 1 Co. xii. 23 ; with an inf. relating to the same subject as that of δοκέω itself, Lk. viii. 18 (ὃ δοκεῖ ἔχειν) ; xxiv. 37 (ἐδόκουν πνεῦμα θεωρεῖν) ; In. v. 39; xvi. 2; Acts xii. 9; xxvii. 13; 1 Co. iil. 18; vii. 40; vili. 25 x. 12; xiv. 375 Gal. vi. 3; Phil. ni.4; Jas. 1. 26, μὴ δόξητε λέγειν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς do not suppose that ye may think, Mt. iii. 9; οἵ. Fritzsche ad loe. [0]]. by ὅτι, Mt. vi. 7; xxvi. 53; [Mk. vi. 49 T WH]; Lk. xii. 51; xiii. 2, 4; xix.11; Jn. v. 45; xi. 13, [81 T Tr WH]; xiii. 29; xx. 15; 1 Co. iv. 9; 2 Co. xii. 19; Jas.iv.5. so used that the object is easily…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

δοκέω. The verb is naturally common, e.g. P Par 4015 (8.6. τ64-58) εἶπα αὐτῷ μὴ ἐμὲ ἀξιοῦν, ἀλλά, δόξαντα ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ αὐλῇ εἶναι, παραγίνεσθαι, P Oxy VII. 1027° (i/A.D.) ὑπόμνημα ἀφ᾽ οὗ ἔδοξεν δυνήσασθαι ἐμποδισθῆναί μου τὴν πρᾶξιν, “ἃ memorandum by means of which he hoped that my execution might be prevented ” (Ed.), 26. 1032°8(A.p. 162) ἐάν σου τῇ τύχῃ δόξῃ, “if your fortune sees fit.” exx. of this last phrase we may cite P Petr I. 267 (B.c. 241) ἐάν σοι δοκεῖ, P Oxy IV. 718% (a.b. 180-02) ἐάν σοι δόξῃ, and 76. IX. 12208 (iii/A.b.) ἢ δοκῖ σοι, κύριέ pov, πέμψε por For other

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

δοκέω (dokeō) — to think.

δοκέω

[Refs 8th c.BC+]imperfect ἐδόκουν, Epic dialect δοκέεσκον [Refs 6th c.AD+]: —middle, δοκέοντο [Refs 3rd c.AD+]: participle δοκεύμενος[Refs]: the future and other tenses are twofold:

1. future δόξω and aorist 1 ἔδοξα [Refs 5th c.BC+]perfect δέδοχα inferred from pluperfect ἐδεδόχεσαν [Refs 2nd c.AD+]:—passive, aorist ἐδόχθην [Refs 5th c.BC+]: perfect δέδογμαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]: pluperfect ἐδέδοκτο [Refs]

2. regular forms (chiefly Trag., Comedy texts, and late Prose), future δοκήσω [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Doric dialect δοκησῶ or -ᾱσῶ[Refs 3rd c.BC+]aorist ἐδόκησα, Epic dialect δόκ- [Refs 8th c.BC+]: perfect δεδόκηκα [Refs 4th c.BC+]:— passive, aorist ἐδοκήθην [Refs 5th c.BC+]: perfect δεδόκημαι [Refs 5th c.BC+].; but δεδοκημένος (which see) belongs to…

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

δοκέω

dokeo

a prolonged form of a primary verb, doko dok'-o (used only in an

alternate in certain tenses; compare the base of 1166) of the same

meaning; to think; by implication, to seem (truthfully or

uncertainly):--be accounted, (of own) please(-ure), be of reputation,

seem (good), suppose, think, trow.

see GREEK for 1166

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

δοκέω

v.

I think, seem, appear, it seems

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

δοκέω dokeō 62x

to think, imagine, suppose, presume, Mt. 3:9; 6:7; to seem, appear, Lk. 10:36; Acts 17:18; it seems; it seems good, best, or right, it pleases, Lk. 1:3; Acts 15:22, 25

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

δοκέω = videor mihi, to think, suppose, imagine, expect, c. acc. et inf., δοκέω νικησέμεν Il.; οὔ σε δοκέω πείθεσθαι Hdt.; τεκεῖν δράκοντ᾽ ἔδοξεν she thought a serpent bare young ones, Aesch.; ἔδοξα ἰδεῖν, Lat. visus sum videre, methought I saw, Eur.; ἀείδειν δοκῶ I think to sing, Aesch.

absol. to have or form an opinion, περί τινος Hdt.; in parenthetic phrases, ὡς δοκῶ Trag.; πῶς δοκεῖς; how think you? Eur.

δοκῶ μοι in attic, just like δοκεῖ μοι, as Lat. videor mihi for videtur mihi, I seem to myself, methinks, c. inf., Hdt., etc.; also, I am determined, resolved, c. inf., Ar.

c. inf., also, to seem or pretend to be doing, Lat. simulo, or with a negat. to seem or pretend not to be doing, Lat. dissimulo; ἤκουσά του λέγοντος, οὐ δοκῶν κλύειν…

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-PAI-2P — Verb · present · active · indicative · second person · plural
present active indicative — an action in progress.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-PAI-2P Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Present Voice: Active Mood: Indicative Person: second Number: Plural

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
9%think you
think you9% · 6×it seemed good8% · 5×thinks6% · 4×thinking6% · 4×esteemed6% · 4×thought5% · 3×he seems3% · 2×it seems3% · 2×other renderings53% · 34×

64 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 33 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
verb98%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 62 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
σύ
τίςIrgδέbut, on the otheὅτιthat, since, bec
Article the
δέbut, on the otheὅτιthat, since, becὥστεso that, therefo
τὶς
εἰCondδέbut, on the othe
αὐτός
λέγωI say, speakἀποκτείνωI put to death, τίςIrg
μήNeg
καίand, even, also,ἵναin order that, s
δοκέωthink you62×
what comes after →
ὅτιthat, since, because
Article theοὐNegφάντασμαan apparition, g
Article the
δέbut, on the otheυἱόςa son, descendenἀπόστολοςan apostle, a me
γάρfor
Article theὅτιthat, since, bec
σύ
γίνομαιI come into beinὅτιthat, since, bec
αὐτός
ὅτιthat, since, becπαιδεύωI discipline, ed

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceδοκέω · 62× in the New Testament
Luke Matthew 1 Corinthians Acts John Galatians Hebrews 2 Corinthians James Mark Philippians
Across the New Testament11 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 20 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome Ignatius of Antioch
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 21c. AD 40

εἰ γάρ τις ἐθελήσειε τὴν αἰτίαν ἧς ἕνεκα τόδε τὸ πᾶν ἐδημιουργεῖτο διερευνᾶσθαι, δοκεῖ μοι μὴ διαμαρτεῖν σκοποῦ φάμενος, ὅπερ καὶ τῶν ἀρχαίων εἶπέ τις, ἀγαθὸν εἶναι τὸν πατέρα καὶ ποιητήν·

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.44c. AD 75–95

φύλλοις οὖν ἑαυτοὺς συκῆς ἐσκέπασαν καὶ ταῦτα πρὸ τῆς αἰδοῦς προβαλόμενοι μᾶλλον ἐδόκουν εὐδαιμονεῖν ὡς ὧν πρότερον ἐσπάνιζον εὑρόντες.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 8.1c. AD 100

Τίνα δὲ δοκεῖτε τύπον εἶναι, ὅτι ἐντέταλται τῷ Ἰσραὴλ προσφέρειν δάμαλιν τοὺς ἄνδρας, ἐν οἷς εἰσὶν ἁμαρτίαι τέλειαι, καὶ σφάξαντας κατακαίειν, καὶ αἴρειν τότε τὴν σποδὸν παιδία καὶ βάλλειν εἰς ἄγγη καὶ περιτιθέναι τὸ ἔριον τὸ κόκκινον ἐπὶ ξύλον ʽἴδε…

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. BC 3rd c. AD 6th c. AD 4th c. AD
P.Edg. $1Arsinoites245 BC

αὐτὸν οὐκ ἀποδέδωκεν, ἀλλὰ παρείλκυκέν με ἕως τοῦ νῦν. δέομαι οὖν σου, εἴ σοι δοκεῖ, προστάξαι Ἀγήνορι τῶι στρατηγῶι ἀνακαλέσαι αὐτὸν καὶ, ἐὰν ἦι ἀληθῆ, ἐπαναγκάσαι αὐτὸν κομισάμενον τὰς

r … γενέθλια τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ βασιλίσσης οἴνου παλαιοῦ εὐώδους κεράμια ὅσα ἄν σοι δόξῃ, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἱερεῖα … προαπο … ν … εἰς τὴν ἑορτὴν

P.Edg. $1Philadelphia? (Arsinoites)241 BC

ἤρξατο Ἀμμώνιος τὰς ὠνὰς ἐπικηρύσσειν. γίνωσκε δὲ καὶ τὰ βαλανεῖα μισθούμενα ἀνυπόλογα παντὸς ὑπολόγου. ἔδοξεν οὖν μοι μηθὲν ὑποστῆναι ἕως τοῦ σε παραγενέσθαι. ἐὰν οὖν εὔκαιρόν σοι ἦι, παραγενοῦ,

Or think you that in vain the Scripture speaks? With envy yearns the Spirit that he settled in us,
ὅτιhoti that G3754 Conjunction
1,293× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in James as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This Greek word means 'that' or 'because', used to introduce a reason or explanation. It appears in the New Testament, such as in Matthew 3:9 and Romans 8:38. It helps to show cause and effect in sentences.
Tyndale gloss
that/since: that
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word ὅτι (hoti) is a conjunction primarily meaning 'that' or 'because.' It introduces objective clauses, often following verbs of perception or declaration, and can also serve as a causal particle. The New Testament frequently employs it in this way, such as in Matthew 5:4-12. There is some variation in how lexicons describe its usage, particularly regarding its pleonastic function in direct discourse.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ὅτι,

conjc. (prop. neut. of ὅστις).

As conjc, introducing an objective clause, that;

after verbs of seeing, knowing, thinking, saying, feeling: Mt 3:9 6:32 11:25, Mk 3:28, Lk 2:49, Jo 2:22, Ac 4:13, Ro 1:13 8:38 10:9, Phl 4:15, Ja 2:24, al.; elliptically, Jo 6:46, Phl 3:12, al.

After εἶναι (γίνεσθαι): defining a demonstr. or pers. pron., Jo 3:19 16:19, Ro 9:6, I Jo 3:16 al.; c. pron. interrog., Mt 8:27, Mk 4:41,

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ὅτι [properly neut. of ὅστις], a conjunction [fr. Hom. down], (Lat. quod [ef. W. § 53,8 b.; B. § 139, 51; § 149, 87), marking I. the substance or contents (of a statement), that; 1. joined to verbs of saying and declaring (where the ace. and infin. is used in Lat.) : ἀναγγέλλειν, Acts xiv. 27; διηγεῖσθαι, Acts ix. 273; εἰπεῖν, Mt. xvi. 20; xxviii. 7,13; Jn. vii. 42; xvi. 15; 1Co.i.15; λέγειν, Mt. iii. 9; vill. 11; Mk. iii. 28; Lk. xv.7; Jn. xvi. 20; Ro. iv. 9 [T Tr WH om. L br. ὅτι}; ix. 2, and very often; προεἰρηκέναι, 2 Co. vii. 3; before the ὅτι in Acts xiv. 22 supply λέγοντες, contained in the preceding παρακαλοῦντες [ef. B. §151, 11]; ὅτι after γράφειν, 1 Co. ix.10; 1 Jn. 11. 12-14; μαρτυρεῖν, Mt. xxiii. 31; Jn. i. 34; iii. 28; iv. 44; ὁμολογεῖν, Heb. xi. 13; δεικνύειν, Mt. xvi. 21; δηλοῦν, 1 Co. i. 11; διδάσκειν, 1 Co. xi. 14. after ἐμφανίζειν. Heb. xi. 14; δῆλον (ἐστίν), 1 Co.…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

οτι. (1) For ὅτι, ‘‘that,” introducing an objective clause after verbs of knowing, saying, etc., cf. P Tebt II. 4098 (A.D. 5) εἰδὼ[ς ὅ]τι ἐξίι)ουσίαν αὐτῶν ἔχει kal Λυσίμαχος kal σύ, ΚΕ knew that both you and Lysimachus had plenty of them” (Edd.), P Fay 109° (early i/A.D.) νομίσας ὅτι (cf. Mt 517) κιχρᾷς por αὐτούς, ““ consider that you are lending them (sc. staters) to me’’ (Edd.), BGU III. 8464* (ii/a.p.) (= Selections, p. 93) γεινώσκειν σαι θέλω, ὅτι οὐχ [HA] Lov, ὅτι ἀναβένις (1. ἀναβαίνεις) els τὴν μητρόπολιν, “1 wish you to know that I had no hope that you were coming up to the metropolis,” 74.9 αἴγραψά σοι, ὅτι γυμνός εἰμει, “1 wrote you that I am naked,” and P Tebt II. 420+ (iii/A.D.) οἴδατε ὅτι ἀπὸ ζημίας ἠμί, ‘‘ You know that I am blameless.” Ὅτι, however, is frequently omitted, e.g. BGU IIL. 8153(ii/a.p.) γεινόσκιν σε θέλω [τὴ]ν ἐπιστολήν σου ἔλαβε (corrected by another hand…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ὅτι (hoti) — that/since: that.

ὅτῐ,

Epic dialect ὅττῐ (both in [Refs 8th c.BC+]: conjunction, to introduce an objective clause, that, after Verbs of seeing or knowing, thinking or saying; in [Refs 8th c.BC+] —Usage:

I. when ὅτι introduces a statement of fact:

I. a in [Refs 8th c.BC+] always with indicative, the tense following the same rules as in English, ἤγγειλ᾽ ὅττι ῥά οἱ πόσις ἔκτοθι μίμνε πυλάων [Refs 8th c.BC+]

I. b in Attic dialect, ὅτι takes indicative after primary tenses, indicative or optative after secondary tenses, e.g. ἐνδείκνυμαι ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι σοφός [Refs 5th c.BC+] news came that Megara had (literal has) revolted, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: sometimes optative and indicative are found in the same sentence, ἔλεγον, ὅτι Κῦρος μὲν τέθνηκεν, Ἀριαῖος δὲ πεφευγὼς.. εἴη [Refs 5th c.BC+].. and the accusative with infinitive…

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

ὅτι

hoti

neuter of 3748 as conjunction; demonstrative, that (sometimes

redundant); causative, because:--as concerning that, as though,

because (that), for (that), how (that), (in) that, though, why.

see GREEK for 3748

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ὅτι

Cj.

that, since, because

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ὅτι hoti 1x

originally was the neuter of ὅστις, that, Mt. 2:16, 22, 23; 6:5, 16; often used pleonastically in reciting another’s words, Mt. 9:18; Lk. 19:42; Acts 5:23; as a causal particle, for that, for, because, Mt. 2:18; 5:3, 4, 5; 13:13; because, seeing that, since, Lk. 23:40; Acts 1:17

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj — Conjunction
conjunction — it joins clauses, and never changes form.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

CONJ CONJunction or conjunctive particle

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
64%that
that64% · 856×because19% · 252×for16% · 209×other renderings1% · 12×

1,329 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 8 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
adverbial16%object4%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 1,293 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
σύ
λέγωI say, speakγάρforδέbut, on the othe
λέγωI say, speak
αὐτόςσύδέbut, on the othe
οἶδαI know, remember
οὐNegκαίand, even, also,ἐγώ
αὐτός
λέγωI say, speakμαθητήςa learner, disciπερί
γινώσκωI come to know, lear
οὗτοςκαίand, even, also,αὐτός
ὅτιthat1293×
what comes after →
Article the
θεόςGod, a godκύριοςlord, Lord, mastπατήρfather, Father,
οὐNeg
εἰμίI am, existοἶδαI know, rememberδύναμαιI am powerful, a
ἐγώ
εἰμίI am, existοὐNegArticle the
οὗτος
εἰμίI am, existArticle theποιέωI do, make
πᾶςall, the whole, ever
Article theῥῆμαa thing spokenζητέωI seek, search f

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceὅτι · 1,293× in the New Testament
John Luke Matthew Acts Mark 1 John Revelation 1 Corinthians Romans 2 Corinthians Galatians Philippians

2 inflected forms — one of the commonest words in the New Testament. Full distribution →

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria Josephus The Shepherd of Hermas The Epistle of Barnabas Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 8c. AD 40

Μωυσῆς δὲ καὶ φιλοσοφίας ἐπ’ αὐτὴν φθάσας ἀκρότητα καὶ χρησμοῖς τὰ πολλὰ καὶ συνεκτικώτατα τῶν τῆς φύσεως ἀναδιδαχθεὶς ἔγνω δή, ὅτι ἀναγκαιότατόν ἐστιν ἐν τοῖς οὖσι τὸ μὲν εἶναι δραστήριον αἴτιον, τὸ δὲ παθητόν, καὶ ὅτι τὸ μὲν δραστήριον ὁ τῶν ὅλων…

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.argc. AD 75–95

ὅτι τῶν ἐθνῶν ἕκαστον ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκισάντων προσηγορεύθη.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.3c. AD 100

ὅτι ἀληθῶς βλέπω ἐν ὑμῖν ἐκκεχυμένον ἀπὸ τοῦ πλουσίου τῆς πηγῆς κυρίου πνεῦμα ἐφ̓ ὑμᾶς.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 4th c. AD 3rd c. BC 6th c. AD
C.Erbstreit14Diospolis Magna (Theben)187 BC

καὶ τὴν εἰκοστὴν τοῦ ἐγκυκλίου καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τὰ καθήκοντα. … ται Προῖτος, καθʼ ὅτι πρόκειται … ἑξήκοντα ἓξ τετρωβόλου καὶ τῆς … … τοπογραμματέως τοῦ Παθυρίτου … ἀρουρῶν

P.Grenf. 1 10 p. 24Hermonthis149 BC

ι τοῖς ἐνκαλουμένοις τὸ ἀντίγραφον τῆς ἐντεύξεως λαβεῖν παρ … τ … … πίστιν ὅτι ἀπαντησα … ἐπὶ τὸ ἐν τῆι αὐλῆι κριτήριον ἐν ἡμέραις λ οὐκ ο

P.Bour. 10Pathyris89 BC

δʼ ἐπιχειροῦντας μὴ ὑπακούειν σου … υτέραι στάσει ἐχομένους ἀσφαλισάμενος μέχρι τοῦ καὶ ἡμᾶς ὅτι τάχος ἐπιβαλεῖν πρὸς σέ. ἔρρωσοἔρρωσο ἔτους κϛ Φαμενὼθ ιϛ

Or think you that in vain the Scripture speaks? With envy yearns the Spirit that he settled in us,
κενῶςkenōs in vain G2761 Adverb
1× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in James than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
The Greek word for doing something in vain, or to no purpose. It appears in James 4:5, warning against striving after things that have no lasting value.
Amplified meaning
in vain, to no purpose
Tyndale gloss
vainly
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word κενῶς (i.e. *kenōs*) is an adverb meaning 'in vain' or 'to no purpose.' It is derived from the root related to emptiness, covering a range of uses from futile actions to being bereft of something. The New Testament references it in James 4:5, where it conveys a sense of fruitlessness.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

κενῶς,

adv.,

[in LXX: Is 49:4 (לְרִיק)*;]

in vain, to no purpose: Ja 4:5.†

Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

κενῶς 196 (B.C. 32) where a Roman official records his visit to the temple of Isis at Phylae σὺν κεντορίωσι ἹΡούφωι, Δημητρίωι κτλ. The soldier Apion writing to his father from Italy to announce his safe arrival signs himself as enrolled in the Kevtvpi(a) ᾿Αθηνονίκη (BGU IT. 423° (ii/a.p.) = Selections, Pp: 92).

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

κενῶς (kenōs) — vainly.

Included with: κενός, ή, όν,

Ionic dialect and poetry κεινός [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Epic dialect also κενεός, as always in [Refs 8th c.BC+] (except in Il.[same places], and κενός [Refs 8th c.BC+], and in Doric dialect, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; Aeolic dialect κέννος, accusative to Greg. Cor.p.610 [Refs 5th c.BC+]; but οἱ Αἰολεῖς.. οὐ λέγουσι κέννος Choerob.in [Refs], from κενϝος, kenevos,[Refs 5th c.AD+] κενευϝός [Refs]

I. mostly of things, empty, opposed to πλέως, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; opposed to πλήρης, [Refs]; opposed to μεστός, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τὸ κ. (i.e. τάλαντον) the empty one, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; χώματα κεινά, ={κενοτάφια}, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κατέθισαν ἐπὶ κενευϝῶν (i.e. τάφων genitive singular) [Refs 5th c.AD+]; κ. χρόνος a pause in music, Anon.[Refs 1st c.AD+]; of wool and wine…

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

κενῶς

kenos

adverb from 2756; vainly, i.e. to no purpose:--in vain.

see GREEK for 2756

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

κενῶς

Adv

falsely, in vain

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

κενῶς kenōs 1x

in vain, to no purpose, unmeaning, Jas. 4:5*

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adv — Adverb
adverb — it qualifies the verb, and never changes form.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

ADV ADVerb or adverb and particle combined

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

van: The adjective of "vanity," and representing the same Hebrew and Greek words as does the latter, with a few additions (chiefly kenos, "empty," and its compounds in the New Testament). And "vain" can always be replaced by its synonym "empty," often with advantage in modern English (Job 15:2; 1Co 15:14, etc.). The exception is the phrase "in vain," and even there the interchange can be made if some (understood) noun such as "ways" be added. So "to take God's name in vain" (Ex 20:7; De 5:11) means simply to take it for an "empty" ("not good") purpose.

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
100%vain
vain100% · 1×

1 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 1 different way. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

Concordanceκενῶς · 1× in the New Testament
James
Across the New Testament1 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
The Shepherd of Hermas
The Shepherd of HermasThe Shepherd of Hermas 16.1.13c. AD 140

εἶτα ὅλως εἰς συναγωγὴν ἀνδρῶν δικαίων οὐκ ἐγγίζει, ἀλλ̓ ἀποφεύγει αὐτούς: κολλᾶται δὲ τοῖς διψύχοις καὶ κενοῖς καὶ κατὰ γωνίαν αὐτοῖς προφητεύει καὶ ἀπατᾷ αὐτοὺς λαλῶν κατὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας αὐτῶν πάντα κενῶς: κενοῖς γὰρ καὶ ἀποκρίνεται: τὸ γὰρ κενὸν…

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
1st c. AD 3rd c. AD 6th c. AD
BGU 20 2871Soknopaiu Nesos (Arsinoites) (?)AD 85

εἴρηκαν … … ὥστε ἀφεῖναι ἕως τῶν Χαρμοσύνων εα … μὴ πεποίηκαν μὴ ἵνα κενῶς αὐτοὺς μεμ … … … … . διὸ γράφω σοι ἵνα θεῶν θελόντων ἀναπλεύσῃς

PSI Congr. 21 13OxyrhynchosAD 284–AD 285

ἡγεμών, … … πάντων μου τῶν ὑπαρχόντων … με κατεληλυθέναι τῇ π … ἀντιτεταγμένη κενῶς καὶ ἀνωφελῶς … ἐπὶ τὸ σὸν ἄχραντον δικαστήριον … … … θους ἐστὶν

P.Laur. 2 46Thelbo (Herakleopolites)AD 501–AD 700

γὰρ εἴκοσι ὀνόματα ἔπεμψάς μοι; ἔχω γὰρ ἐκεῖσʼ ὁμοῦ ἑξήκοντα ὀνόματα τῶν ἀπὸ Θελαὼ κενῶς. εἰ μὴ εἴκοσι ὀνόματα, οὐκ ἔπεμψάς μοι. θαυμάζω. πέμψον μοι οὖν τὴν λοιπάδα καὶ

Or think you that in vain the Scripture speaks? With envy yearns the Spirit that he settled in us,
ho the G3588 Article · nominative · singular · feminine
19,783× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in James as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
The Greek word for 'the' or 'this', used to point out a specific person or thing, like in Acts 17:28. It can also mean 'he', 'she', or 'it'.
Tyndale gloss
the/this/who
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The definite article — the commonest word in the Greek New Testament at 19,867 occurrences. Greek uses it more freely than English does and can drop it deliberately, so its presence and its absence both carry weight for a translator; but no single occurrence carries a message of its own. Here it simply gathers “the things” into one definite bundle.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ὁ, ἡ, τό,

the prepositive article (ἄρθρον προτακτικόν), originally a demonstr. pron. (so usually in Hom.), in general corresponding to the Eng. definite article.

As demonstr. pron.

As freq. in Hom., absol., he (she, it), his (etc.): Ac 17:28 (quoted from the poet Aratus).

Distributive, ὁ μὲν . . . ὁ δέ, the one . . . the other: I Co 7:7, Ga 4:22; pl., Ac 14:4, 17:32, Phl 1:16, al.; οἱ μὲν . . . ἄλλοι δέ, Mt 16:14, Jo 7:12; οἱ μεν̀ . . . ὁ δέ, He 7:21, 23.

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ὁ 435 ὁ tives of quantity, ὅλος, πᾶς, πολύς, see each in its own place. d. What has been said concerning adjectives holds true also of all other limitations added to substantives, as ἡ κατ᾽ ἐκλογὴν πρόθεσις, Ro. ix. 11; ἡ παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ διαθήκη, Ro. xi. 27; 6 λόγος 6 τοῦ σταυροῦ, 1 Co. i. 18; ἡ εἰς Χριστὸν πίστις, Col. ii. 5; on the other hand, ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν ἡ πρὸς τὸν θεόν, 1 Th. i. 8; τῆς διακονίας τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους, 2 Co. viii. 4; see many other exx. of each usage in W. 131 (124) sqq.; [B. 91 (80) sqq.]. e. The noun has the article before it when a demonstrative pronoun (υὗτος, ἐκεῖνος) belonging to it either precedes or follows [W. § 18, 4; B. § 127, 29-31]; as, ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος, Jn. ix. 24 [οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρ. 1, Tr mrg. WH); Acts vi. 13; xxii. 26; ὁ λαὸς οὗτος, Mt. xv. 8; 6 vids σου οὗτος, Lk. xv. 30; plur. Lk. xxiv. 17, and numberless other exx.; οὗτος 6 ἄνθρωπος, Lk. xiv. 30; οὗτος ὁ…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

ὃ, ἡ τό. (1) Apart from connexion with μέν or δέ (see below) the demonstrative use of the art. in the NT is confined to a poetical quotation Ac 1778, but it is not uncommon in the papyri, e.g. P Par 45® (B.C. 153) (= Witkowski®, p. 85) τὰ (for ἃ) πράσεις (Δ πράσσεις), P Oxy VIII. 1160! (iii/iv A.D.) Ta (for ἃ) σεσύλληχα (for συνείληχα) δὲ κέρμα {ταν τηρῶ αὐτὰ εἰς τὴν δίκην, “1 am keeping for the trial the money that I have collected” (Ed.). For the distributive Opéev.. - 6 8€, as in 1 Cor7’, cf. P Lond 535 (B.c. 161) (=I. p. 19, U.P.Z. i. p. 239) kal τὰ μὲν ἡμῶν ἐληφότων εἰς τὴν γινομένην ἡμῖν συντάξειν, τὰ δ᾽ ἔτι διὰ τὴν τῶν ὑποτεταγμένων {(.. ... > παρελκομένων. (2) The use of the art. as a relative, of which there is no trace in the NT, may again be illustrated by the following papyrus citations from ¢c. A.D. 346—P Lond 414® (= II. Ῥ. 292) γεινῴσκιν oe θέλω περὶ τοῦ βρεουίου…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ὁ (ho) — the/this/who.

ὁ,

ἡ, τό, is, when thus written,

__A demonstrative Pronoun.

__B in Attic dialect, definite or prepositive Article.

__C in Epic dialect, the so-called postpositive Article, = relative Pronoun, ὅς, ἥ, ὅ.—The nominative masculine and feminine singular and plural, ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ, have no accent in codices and most printed books, except when used as the relative; but ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ differ only in writing from ὃ, ἣ, οἳ, α; the nominative forms of the article are said by Hdn.Gr.1.474 to be oxytone, and by [Refs 2nd c.AD+] in Aeolic dialect accusative to [Refs 8th c.BC+] genitive and dative dual τοῖιν [Refs 8th c.BC+]— In Doric dialect and all other dialects except Attic dialect and Ionic dialect the feminine forms preserve the old ᾱ instead of changing it to η, hence Doric dialect etc. ἁ, τάν, τᾶ; the genitive plural τάων contracts in many dialects to τᾶ; the genitive…

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

ὁ ἡ τό

ho

he hay, and the neuter

to to

in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be

supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one,

he, she, it, etc.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ὁ, ἡ, τό

Article

the

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ὁ ho 19x

the prepositive article, answering, to a considerable extent, to the English definite article; but, for the principle and facts of its usage, consult a grammar; ὁ μὲν ... ὁ δέ, the one ... the other, Phil. 1:16, 17; Heb. 7:5, 6, 20, 21, 23, 24; pl. some ... others, Mt. 13:23; 22:5, 6; ὁ δέ, but he, Mt. 4:4; 12:48; οἱ δέ, but others, Mt. 28:17; used, in a poetic quotation, for a personal pronoun, Acts 17:28

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ὁ the, that

ὁ, ἡ, τό, is

demonstr. Pronoun.

the definite Article.

in epic, the relative Pronoun, when it is written with the accent ὅ, ἥ, τό ῀ ὅς, ἥ, ὅ. Besides the common forms, note epic gen. sg. τοῖο for τοῦ; pl. nom. τοί, ταί; gen. fem. τάων [α^], dat. τοῖσι, τῇς and τῇσι; dual gen, and dat. τοῖιν:— in Trag. we find τοὶ μέν . . , τοὶ δέ . . , for οἱ μέν . . , οἱ δέ . . ; dat. pl. also τοῖσι, ταῖσι: the dual has commonly but one gender, τώ for τά, τοῖν for ταῖν.

DEMONSTR. PRONOUN:

joined with a Subst., not as the Art., but like Lat. ille, ὁ Τυδείδης Tydeus's famous son, Il.; Νέστωρ ὁ γέρων Nestor— that aged man, id. Il.; τιμῆς τῆς Πριάμου for honour, namely that of Priam, id. Il.

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art-NSF — Article · nominative · singular · feminine
nominative — the one doing it — the subject.
Agrees with anything else marked singular feminine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

T-NSF Part of Speech: definite arTicle Case: Nominative Number: Singular Gender: Feminine

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

THE, an adjective or definitive adjective.

1. This adjective is used as a definitive, that is, before nouns which are specific or understood; or it is used to limit their signification to a specific thing or things, or to describe them; as the laws of the twelve tables. the independent tribunals of justice in our country, are the security or private rights, and the best bulwark against arbitrary power. the sun is the source of light and heat.

This he calls the preaching of the cross.

2. the is also used rhetorically before a noun in the singular number, to denote a species by way of distinction; a single thing representing the whole. the fig tree putteth forth her green figs; the almond tree shall flourish; the grasshopper shall be a burden.

3. In poetry, the sometimes loses the final vowel before another vowel.

Th' adorning thee with so much art,

Is but a barb'rous skill.

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
64%the
the64% · 13160×<the>28% · 5846×those3% · 597×other renderings4% · 788×other renderings1% · 294×

20,685 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 83 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
subject34%adverbial32%object24%predicate5%indirect object4%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 19,783 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
καίand, even, also, nam
αὐτόςεἰμίI am, existἐγώ
ἐν
καίand, even, also,αὐτόςArticle the
εἰς
αὐτόςεἰσέρχομαιI go in, come inἔρχομαιI come, go
αὐτός
λέγωI say, speakδέbut, on the otheπρός
εἰμίI am, exist
οὗτοςσύἐγώ
the19783×
what comes after →
θεόςGod, a god
Article theκαίand, even, also,ἐγώ
δέbut, on the other ha
λέγωI say, speakἸησοῦςJesusἀποκρίνομαιI answer, reply
ἸησοῦςJesus
λέγωI say, speakκαίand, even, also,Article the
κύριοςlord, Lord, master,
ἐγώἸησοῦςJesusArticle the
πατήρfather, Father, ance
ἐγώσύαὐτός

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordance · 19,783× in the New Testament
Matthew Acts Luke John Revelation Mark Romans 1 Corinthians Hebrews 2 Corinthians Ephesians 1 John

40 inflected forms — one of the commonest words in the New Testament. Full distribution →

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome The Epistle of Barnabas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 1c. AD 40

Τῶν ἄλλων νομοθετῶν οἱ μὲν ἀκαλλώπιστα καὶ γυμνὰ τὰ νομισθέντα παρ’ αὐτοῖς εἶναι δίκαια διετάξαντο, οἱ δὲ πολὺν ὄγκον τοῖς νοήμασι προσπεριβαλόντες ἐξετύφωσαν τὰ πλήθη μυθικοῖς πλάσμασι τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπικρύψαντες.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.argc. AD 75–95

τοῦ κόσμου σύστασις καὶ διάταξις τῶν στοιχείων.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.1c. AD 100

Χαίρετε, υἱοὶ καὶ θυγατέρες, ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντος ἡμᾶς, ἐν εἰρήνῃ.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 1st c. AD 3rd c. BC 6th c. AD
P.Stras. 2 89Pathyris100 BC

r βασιλεύοντος Πτολεμαίου τοῦ ἐπικαλουμένου Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Βερενίκης τῆς ἀδελφῆς θεῶν Φιλομητόρων ἔτους ιε, ἐφʼ ἱερέων καὶ ἱερειῶν

P.Adl. 11Pathyris99 BC

ιζ Θῶυθ κη ἀπέδοτο Πετεσοῦχος Φίβιος καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τὸ ὕπαρχον αὐτοῖς ἥμισυ περιστερῶνος τοῦ ὄντος ἐν τῶι ἀπὸ βορρᾶ μέρει Παθύρεως χαλκοῦ Γ. ἐπρίατο Ὧρος Νεχούτου.

P.Grenf. 2 35Pathyris99 BC

βασιλευόντων Πτολεμαίου τοῦ ἐπικαλουμένου Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Βερενίκης τῆς ἀδελφῆς θεῶν φιλομητόρων ἔτους ιϛ, ἐφʼ ἱερέων καὶ ἱερειῶν

Or think you that in vain the Scripture speaks? With envy yearns the Spirit that he settled in us,
γραφὴgraphē Scripture G1124 Noun · nominative · singular · feminine
50× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in James than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This refers to a written document, specifically the holy scriptures or Bible. It appears in Romans 1:2 and Matthew 21:42, emphasizing the importance of written scripture. The term is used to describe the sacred writings of the Old Testament.
Amplified meaning
holy Writings, God's written word
Tyndale gloss
a writing
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

γραφή (graphē) refers to a writing or document, particularly the sacred writings of the Old Testament. It encompasses both the art of writing and the content of written works, including specific passages and the Scriptures as a whole. The term appears frequently in the New Testament, often highlighting the authority of these texts, such as in 2 Timothy 3:16 and Romans 1:2. Some lexicons note a distinction in usage between singular and plural forms.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

γραφή, -ῆς, ἡ

(< γράφω),

[in LXX chiefly for כְּתָב ;]

a drawing, painting.

writing;

that which is written, a writing: πᾶσα γ., II Ti 3:16; γ. ἅγιαι, Ro 1:2; προφητικαί, Ro 16:26; al αἱ γ. τ. προφητῶν, Mt 26:56; ἡ γ., αἱ γ., the sacred writings, the Scriptures (i.e. the OT; v. Milligan, NTD, 205); in pl., when the sacred writings as a whole are meant, e.g. Mt 21:42 26:54, Jo 5:39, Ro 15:4; in sing., when a particular passage is referred to, as in Lk 4:21, Jo 19:24,

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

γραφή, -ῆς, 7, (γράφω. cf. γλυφή and γλύφω): a. α writing, thing written, [fr. Soph. down] : πᾶσα γραφή every scripture sc. of the O. T., 2 Tim. iii. 16; plur. γραφαὶ ἅγιαι, holy scriptures, the sacred books (of the O. T.), Ro. i. 2; προφητικαί, Ro. xvi. 26 ; ai γραφαὶ τῶν προφητῶν. Mt. xxvi. 56. b. ἡ γραφή, the Scripture κατ᾽ ἐξοχήν, the holy scripture (of the O.'T.), —and used to denote either the book itself, or its contents [some would restrict the sing. γραφή always to ἃ particular passage; see Bp. Lghtft. on Gal. iii. 22]: Jn. vii. 38; x. 35; Acts viii. 32; Ro. iv. 3; Gal. iii. 22; iv. 30; Jas. ii. 8; 1 Pet.ii. 6; 2 Pet. i. 20; also in plur. ai γραφαί: Mt. xxi. 42; xxvi. 54; MK. xiv. 49; Lk. xxiv. 27; Jn. v. 39; Acts xvii. 2, 11; xviii. 24, 28; 1 Co. χν. 8 sq.; once ai ypapai comprehends also the books of the N. T. already begun to be collected into a canon, 2 Pet. iii. 16; by…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

γραφή (graphē) — a writing.

γρᾰφ-ή, ἡ,

representation by means of lines: hence,

I. drawing, delineation, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κατὰ γραφήν in outline, conjecture in [Refs 5th c.BC+]; also of painting, γραφῇ κοσμέειν [Refs 5th c.BC+]; the art of drawing or painting, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

I.2. that which is drawn or painted, drawing, picture, ὅσον γραφῇ only in a picture, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; σπόγγος ὤλεσεν γραφήν[Refs 4th c.BC+]; also of embroidery, [Refs 4th c.BC+]

I.3. γ. παρειῶν painting, rouging the cheeks, [Refs]

II. writing or the art of writing, [Refs 5th c.BC+] the registration of.., [Refs 4th c.BC+]

II.2. that which is written, writing, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: hence, of various written documents, letter, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: also in plural, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ψευδεῖς γ. spurious documents, cited in [Refs 5th c.BC+] false…

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

γραφή

graphe

a document, i.e. holy Writ (or its contents or a statement in

it):--scripture.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

γραφή, ῆς, ἡ

n.f.

a writing, passage of scripture, the scriptures

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

γραφή graphē 50x

a writing; in NT the Holy Scriptures, the Jewish Scriptures, or Books of the Old Testament, Mt. 21:42; Jn. 5:39, et al.; by synec. doctrines, declarations, oracles, or promises contained in the sacred books, Mt. 22:29; Mk. 12:24, et al.; spc. a prophecy, Mt. 26:54; Mk. 14:49; Lk. 4:21; 24:27, 32; with the addition of προφητική, Rom. 16:26; of τῶν προφητῶν, Mt.…

Read the full entry →
Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

γραφή γράφω representation by means of lines:

drawing or delineation, Hdt.; of painting, id. Hdt., Plat.

a drawing, painting, picture, ὅσον γραφῆι only in a picture, Hdt.; πρέπουσα ὡς ἐν γραφαῖς Aesch.

writing, the art of writing, Plat.

a writing, Soph.: a letter, Thuc.; so in pl., like γράμματα, Eur.: ψευδεῖς γρ. false statements, id. Eur.

(γράφομαι) as attic law-term, an indictment in a public prosecution, a criminal prosecution undertaken by the state, opp. to δίκη (a private action), Plat., etc.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Noun-NSF — Noun · nominative · singular · feminine
nominative — the one doing it — the subject.
Agrees with anything else marked singular feminine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

N-NSF Part of Speech: Noun Case: Nominative Number: Singular Gender: Feminine

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

skrip'-tur (he graphe, plural hai graphai): The word means "writing." In the Old Testament it occurs in the King James Version only once, "the scripture of truth," in Da 10:21, where it is more correctly rendered in the Revised Version (British and American), "the writing of truth." The reference is not to Holy Scripture, but to the book in which are inscribed God's purposes. In the New Testament, "scripture" and "scriptures" stand regularly for the Old Testament sacred books regarded as "inspired" (2Ti 3:16), "the oracles of God" (Ro 3:2). Compare on this usage Mt 21:42; 22:29; Mr 12:10;

Scripture

Invariably in the New Testament denotes that definite collection of sacred books, regarded as given by inspiration of God, which we usually call the Old Testament (2 Tim. 3:15, 16; John 20:9; Gal. 3:22; 2 Pet. 1:20). It was God’s purpose thus to perpetuate his revealed will. From time to time he raised up men to commit to writing in an infallible record the revelation he gave. The “Scripture,” or collection of sacred writings, was thus enlarged from time to time as God saw necessary. We have now a completed “Scripture,” consisting of the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament canon in the time of our Lord was precisely the same as that which we now possess under…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

[See BIBLE]

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Or SCRIPTURES, the writings, that is, by eminence; the inspired writings, comprising the Old and New Testaments. See BIBLE.

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
60%scripture
scripture60% · 30×scriptures36% · 18×scripture?2% · 1×scriptures?2% · 1×

50 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 4 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
subject54%adverbial26%object20%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 50 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
Article the
πληρόωI fill, fulfill,ἵναin order that, sγάρfor
ἐν
αὐτόςπεριέχωI contain, seize
ἕτεροςanother, different
πάλινagain, further,
τέDisj
διά
πᾶςall, the whole, ever
γραφήScripture50×
what comes after →
Article the
προφήτηςa prophet, poetπερίΦαραώProp
λέγωI say, speak
ὅτιthat, since, becδιψάωI thirst for, deὁράωI see, look upon
ὅτιthat, since, because
οὕτωthus, so, in thiσύδεῖit is necessary,
πληρόωI fill, fulfill, com
Article theδιαμερίζωI divide up intoὀστέονa bone
οὗτος
ἀναγινώσκωI readἐνεὐαγγελίζωI bring good new

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceγραφή · 50× in the New Testament
John Acts Romans Luke Matthew Galatians James Mark 1 Corinthians 2 Peter 1 Peter 1 Timothy
Across the New Testament13 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 17 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria Josephus Clement of Rome The Epistle of Barnabas The Shepherd of Hermas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 77c. AD 40

ἐφ’ ἅπασι γὰρ τοῖς ἄλλοις αὐτὸν ὁ ποιητὴς καὶ πατήρ, ὥσπερ αἱ ἱεραὶ γραφαὶ μηνύουσιν, εἰργάσατο.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.3c. AD 75–95

εἰσὶ δʼ οἵτινες ἐβιάσθησαν ὑπʼ αὐτῆς τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἀνάγκης οἷς πραττομένοις παρέτυχον ταῦτα γραφῇ δηλούσῃ περιλαβεῖν·

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 4.7c. AD 100

λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφή: Καὶ ἦν Μωϋσῆς ἐν τῷ ὄρει νηστεύων ἡμέρας τεσσαράκοντα καὶ νύκτας τεσσαράκοντα, καὶ ἔλαβεν τὴν διαθήκην ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου, πλάκας λιθίνας γεγραμμένας τῷ δακτύλῳ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ κυρίου.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 3rd c. BC 1st c. AD 2nd c. BC

r,1,ctr γραφὴ ποτηρίων τῶν κειμένων ἐνέχυρα ἐν Φιλαδελφείαι ἔτους λε Τῦβι ιϛ διὰ Θεοπόμπου ἐπὶ φιάληι

P.Edg. $1Philadelphia (Arsinoites)242 BC

α. Σωστράτωι. καταπλέοντος Δημητρίου τοῦ πρὸς τῆι ἕκτῃ πρὸς Ζηνόδωρον περὶ τῆς ὠνῆς, ὅπως γραφῇ Ἑρμαφίλωι τε καὶ τοῖς λογισταῖς ἐπισκεψαμένοις ἐὰν φαίνηται ἐν τῶι ε ἔτει αὐτό τε

Γραφὴ σκευῶν· στρώματα β, προσκεφάλαια δ, κασαὶ γ, ἄλλος κασῆς ἐφίππιος φοινικοῦς σάκκος ἐν ὧι

Or think you that in vain the Scripture speaks? With envy yearns the Spirit that he settled in us,
λέγει;legō speaks? G3004 Verb · present · active · indicative · third person · singular
2,255× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
rarer in James than elsewhere in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This word means to say or speak, and it is used by Jesus and others in the New Testament to share teachings and tell stories. It appears in Matthew 9:34 and John 1:29.
Tyndale gloss
to say
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

λέγω (legō) is a primary Greek verb meaning 'to say' or 'to speak.' It encompasses a range of uses, including expressing thoughts, making declarations, and narrating events. The New Testament frequently employs it in direct speech and as a way to convey meaning, such as in Matthew 27:11. Abbott-Smith notes its distinction from similar verbs like λαλέω.

Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament — λαλέω, λέγω, λαλιά, λόγος from a scan

In dealing with synonyms of the N. T. we plainly need not concern ourselves with such earlier, or even contemporary, uses of the words which we are discriminating, as lie altogether outside of the N. T. sphere, when these uses do not illustrate, and have not affected, their Scriptural employment. It follows from this that all those contemptuous uses of λαλεῖν as to talk at random, as one ἀθυρόστομος, or with no door to his lips, might do; of λαλιά, as chatter («Kpacia λόγου ἄλογος, Plato, Defin. 416)—for I cannot believe that we are to find this at John iv. 42—may be dismissed and set aside. The antithesis in the line of Eupolis (Meineke, /ragm. Com. Gr. p. 174), Λαλεῖν ἄριστος, ἀδυνατώτατος λέγειν, does little or nothing to illustrate the matter in hand. The distinction which indeed exists between the words may in this way be made clear. There are two leading aspects under which speech…

Read the full entry →
Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

λέγω,

[in LXX very freq., chiefly for אמר; λέγει for נְאֻם, Ge 22:16, al.;]

in Hom., to pick out, gather, reckon, recount.

In Hdt. and Att., to say, speak, affirm, declare: absol., Ac 13:15 24:10; seq. orat. dir., Mt 9:34, Mk 3:11, Jo 1:29, al.; seq. ὅτι recit., Mk 3:21, Lk 1:24, Jo 6:14, al.; acc. et. inf., Lk 11:18, Jo 12:29, al.; after another verb of speaking, προσφωνεῖν κ. λέγειν, Mt 11:17, al.; ἀπεκρίθη (ἐλάλησεν) λέγων (καὶ λέγει; Dalman…

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

λέγω (in the N. T. only the pres. and impf. act. and pres. pass. are in use; 3 pers. plur. impf. ἔλεγαν, Jn. xi. 56 Tdf. [ef. ἔχω, init.]): I. in its earliest use in Hom. to lay (like Lat. lego, Germ. legen; οἵ. J. G. Miiller in Theol. Stud. u. Krit. for 1835, p. 127 sqq.; Curtius § 538) ; to cause to lie down, put to sleep; 1. to collect, gather; to pick out. 2. lo lay with, count with; to enumerate, recount, narrate, describe; [οἷ. Eng. tale, Germ. ztihlen). II. to put word to word in speaking, join words together, i. e. to say (how it differs fr. λαλεῖν, see under that word ad init.) ; once so by Hom. in 1]. 2, 222 [yet ef. Schmidt, Syn. i. ch. 1, §§ 20; 48, 2; L. and S. s. vy. B. II. 2]; often in Pind., and by far the most com. use in Attic; Sept. more than thirteen hundred times for 728; often also for D8} (saying, dictum); very rarely for 1393; and soin N.T. 1. univ. a. absol. to…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

λέγω. (1). “‘I say, speak”: see e.g. P Par 47 {= Selections, Ῥ- 21 ff.), ¢. B.C. 153, which is addressed on the verso—mpds τοὺς τὴν ἀλήθεαν λέγοντες (—-as), P Fay 12378 (c. A.D. 100) γνώσομαι yap εἰ ἀληθῶς λέγι, “1 will find out whether he is speaking the truth,” P Ryl 11. 7615 (late li/A.D.) ἃ καὶ ἀναγνώσομαι λεγομένου τοῦ [π]ράγματος, “1 will read them when the case is argued” (Edd.), P Flor II. 1327 (A.D. 257) ἔλεζξ]αν πεποιηκέναι ταῦτα ἀγνοίᾳ, ‘they said they had done this in ignorance,” and the magical P Par 5741238 (iii/A.D.) (= Selectzons, p. 113) λόγος λεγόμενος ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ, ‘ invocation to be uttered over the head (of the possessed one).”” For the phrase τὸ αὐτὸ λέγειν, cf. I Cor 11°, Weiss (Meyer 15 ad 1) cites a sepulchral inscr. of husband and wife from Rhodes, /J/Ae 149 (ii/B.c.) ταὐτὰ λέγοντες ταὐτὰ φρονοῦντες ἤλθομεν τὰν ἀμέτρητον ὁδὸν εἰς ᾿Αἴδαν. (2). Closely…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

λέγω (legō) — to say.

λέγω,

__B pick up, etc.: tenses for signification 1 and 11, future λέξω [Refs 8th c.BC+]: aorist ἔλεξα [Refs 4th c.BC+]:—middle, future in passive sense λέξομαι [Refs 5th c.BC+]: aorist ἐλεξάμην [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Epic dialect ἐλέγμην [Refs 8th c.BC+]:—passive, aorist ἐλέχθην [Refs 8th c.BC+]-; post-[Refs 8th c.BC+]perfect εἴλοχα (κατ-, συν-), passive εἴλεγμαι, in these senses rarely λέλεγμαι (see. the compounds); also future λεγήσομαι (συλ-): aorist 2 ἐλέγην (κατ-, συν-):—gather, pick up, ὀστέα.. λέγωμεν [Refs 8th c.BC+]; αἱμασιάς τε λέγων picking out stones for building walls, [Refs 8th c.BC+]:—middle, gather for oneself, ἐπὶ δὲ ξύλα πολλὰ λέγεσθε [Refs 8th c.BC+]

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

λέγω

lego

a primary verb; properly, to "lay" forth, i.e. (figuratively) relate

(in words (usually of systematic or set discourse; whereas 2036 and

5346 generally refer to an individual expression or speech

respectively; while 4483 is properly to break silence merely, and 2980

means an extended or random harangue)); by implication, to mean:--ask,

bid, boast, call, describe, give out, name, put forth, say(-ing, on),

shew, speak, tell, utter.

see GREEK for 2036

see GREEK for 5346

see GREEK for 4483

see GREEK for 2980

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

λέγω

v.

I say, speak

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

λέγω legō 2x

to lay, to arrange, to gather; to say, Mt. 1:20; to speak, make an address or speech, Acts 26:1; to say mentally, in thought, Mt. 3:9; Lk. 3:8; to say in written language, Mk. 15:28; Lk. 1:63; Jn. 19:37; to say, as distinguished from acting, Mt. 23:3; to mention, speak of, Mk. 14:71; Lk. 9:31; Read the full entry →

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-PAI-3S — Verb · present · active · indicative · third person · singular
present active indicative — an action in progress.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-PAI-3S Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Present Voice: Active Mood: Indicative Person: third Number: Singular

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
35%saying
saying35% · 480×says13% · 175×i say12% · 164×he says9% · 122×say5% · 70×he was saying3% · 42×they say2% · 31×other renderings17% · 225×other renderings4% · 48×

1,357 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 107 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
verb98%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 2,255 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
καίand, even, also, nam
αὐτόςἸησοῦςJesusἀποκρίνομαιI answer, reply
αὐτός
πρόςμαθητήςa learner, disciἀποκρίνομαιI answer, reply
δέbut, on the other ha
Article theοὗτοςἐγώ
ἸησοῦςJesus
Article theδέbut, on the otheγόνυa knee
ἀμήνHebr
ἀμήνHebrαὐτόςλέγωI say, speak
λέγωspeaks?2255×
what comes after →
αὐτός
Article theτίςIrgκύριοςlord, Lord, mast
Article the
μαθητήςa learner, disciἸησοῦςJesusΠέτροςPeter
σύ
ὅτιthat, since, becοὐNegἐάνCond
δέbut, on the other ha
Article theπρόςαὐτός
ὅτιthat, since, because
Article theοὗτοςσύ

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceλέγω · 2,255× in the New Testament
Luke John Matthew Mark Acts Revelation Hebrews Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians James Galatians

76 inflected forms — one of the commonest words in the New Testament. Full distribution →

Across the New Testament25 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 1,290 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas The Epistle of Barnabas Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 5c. AD 40

οὐ μὴν διὰ τοῦθ’ ἡσυχαστέον, ἀλλ’ ἕνεκα τοῦ θεοφιλοῦς καὶ ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ἐπιτολμητέον λέγειν, οἴκοθεν μὲν οὐδέν, ὀλίγα δ’ ἀντὶ πολλῶν, ἐφ’ ἃ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην διάνοιαν φθάνειν εἰκὸς ἔρωτι καὶ πόθῳ σοφίας κατεσχημένην.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.argc. AD 75–95

ὅπως Ἅβραμος ὁ πρόγονος ἡμῶν ἐξελθὼν ἐκ τῆς Χαλδαίων γῆς κατέσχε τὴν τότε μὲν Χαναναίαν νῦν δὲ Ἰουδαίαν λεγομένην.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 2.4c. AD 100

πεφανέρωκεν γὰρ ἡμῖν διὰ πάντων τῶν προφητῶν, ὅτι οὕτε θυσιῶν οὔτε ὁλοκαυτωμάτων οὔτε προσφορῶν χρῄζει, λέγων ὅτε μέν:

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 6th c. AD 1st c. AD 4th c. AD
P.Grenf. 2 33Pathyris101 BC

τὸ ἐπιβάλλον αὐτῷ μέρος ἧς ἐμισθώσατο σὺν Πακοίβι Σχώτου καὶ τοῖς μετόχοις γῆς σιτοφόρου λεγομένης Νεχθαραῦτι θεοῦ μεγάλου παρὰ τῶν ἱερέων ἐτῶν δέκα εἰς τὰ ἐνλιπόντα αὐτῷ ἑτέρων ,

P.Stras. 2 89Pathyris100 BC

ἑτερᾶς· νότου γῆ Τακοίμιος, βορρᾶ γῆ Χενσθώτου, ἀπηλιώτου Ἀείους, λιβὸς περίχωμα, τῆς δʼ ἄλλης λεγομένης Πκρώ· νότου γῆ Σενπελαίας, βορρᾶ γῆ Πανᾶτος ἀπηλιώτου ποταμός, λιβὸς Ἀραμείους, ἢ οἳ ἂν

P.Adl. 16Pathyris100 BC

οἱ Φίβιος τοῦ Πανεχάτου υἱοί, ἀπηλιώτου ὁδὸς βασιλική, λιβὸς γῆ Ψεμμώνθου τοῦ Πανεχάτου, ἄλλης λεγομένης Φαμούνιος νότου γῆ Παθώτου τοῦ Πατοῦτος, βορρᾶ γῆ Πατσεοῦτος τοῦ Φίβιος, ἀπηλιώτου ποταμός, λιβὸς

Or think you that in vain the Scripture speaks? With envy yearns the Spirit that he settled in us,
πρὸςpros With G4314 Preposition
700× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
rarer in James than elsewhere in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
A preposition showing direction or relationship, like towards or with something, as seen in Mark 5:11 and John 18:16. This means indicating movement or direction. It's about showing proximity or connection.
Tyndale gloss
to/with
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

πρός is a preposition that indicates direction, proximity, or relation. It can be used with the genitive to denote motion from a place, with the dative for local proximity, and with the accusative to express motion towards a place or object. In the New Testament, it appears in various contexts, such as Acts 27:34 for benefit and Mark 5:11 for proximity.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

πρός,

prep. c. gen., dat., acc.

C. gen., of motion from a place, from the side of, hence metaph., in the interests of, Ac 27:34 (cf. Page, in l.).

C. dat., of local proximity, hard by, near, at: Mk 5:11, Lk 19:37, Jo 18:16 20:11, 12, Re 1:13.

C. acc., of motion or direction towards a place or object, to, towards.

Of place,

after verbs of motion or of speaking and other words with the idea of direction: ἔρχομαι, ἀναβαίνω, πορεύομαι, λέγω, ἐπιστολή, etc., Mt 3:14, Mk 6:51, Lk 11:5, Jo 2:3,

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

πρός, a preposition, i.q. Epic mpori, from πρό and the adverbial suffix τι, (cf. the German vor . . . hin [Curtius § 381]); it is joined I. with the AccusaTIvE, to, towards, Lat. ad, denoting direction towards athing, or position and state looking towards a thing (W. § 49h. p. 404 (378)): it is used 1. of the goal or limit towards which a movement is directed: πρός twa or τι, a. prop. after verbs of going, departing, running, coming, ete.: ἄγω, Jn. xi. 15; ἀναβαίνω, Mk. vi. 51; Jn. xx. 17; Acts xv. 2; ἀνακάμπτω, Mt. ii. 12; Acts xvili. 21; ἀνέρχομαι, Gal. i. 17 [1]. Tr mrg. arépy.]; ἀπέρχομαι, Mt. » xiv. 25 [Rec.]; Mk. iii. 13, etc.; πρὸς ἑαυτόν, to his house, Lk. xxiv. 12 [T om. L Trbr. WH reject the ys.; Tr reads mp. αὐτόν ; some connect the phrase w. θαυμάζων (see 2 Ὁ. below) ]; Jn. xx. 10 [Ὁ Tr αὐτούς, WH air. (cf. s. v. αὑτοῦ sub fin.)]; γίνεσθαι πρός τινα, to come to one, 1 Co.…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

πρός reference to place PSI IV. 31178 (iv/A.D.?) πρ]ὸς τὴν Aavitk.ay τῆς κοίλης Dupials. Headlam (on Herodas VII. 123) holds that τὰ πρὸς τὴν θύραν in Mk 2? ‘‘is surely idiomatic (not vulgar as Moulton thinks) ‘spots which commanded the door’”: cf. Mt 310, Lk 35. For πρός, ‘‘with,” as in Jn ΤΡ, Heb 41%, cf. Epict. iv. 9. 13 πρὸς ὃν οὐδείς ἐστί σου πιθανώτερος (see Sharp Ξε, p. 92). And for the possibility that the difficult πρός in Mk 63, οἷ", 14%, Jn 1}, 1 Jn 1?, is to be explained as an Aramaism, see Rendel Harris Prologue to S. John’s Gospel p. 8f., and Burney Avamaic Origin of the Fourth Gospel p. 28 f. (6) of time = ‘‘for’’ (a time) and no longer—BGU I. 1131? (A.D. 143) βουλόμενος παρεπιδημεῖν πρὸς καιρόν (cf. Lk 818), P Oxy I. 6714 (A.D. 338) πρὸς ὀλίγον εἰσχύει, ‘‘withstands but for a short time” (cf. Jas 4), and P Flor III. 282° (A.D. 520) πρὸς ὅλον χρόνον. (c) of mental…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

πρός (pros) — to/with.

πρός,

preposition, expressing direction,

__A on the side of, in the direction of, hence with genitive, dative, and accusative, from, at, to: Epic dialect also προτί and ποτί, in [Refs 8th c.BC+] usually with accusative, more rarely with dative, and each only once with genitive, [Refs 8th c.BC+]:—dialectal forms: Doric dialectποτί (which see) and ποί, but Cretan dialect πορτί [Refs], Argive προτ(ί) [Refs 7th c.BC+] πός [Refs 4th c.BC+]., also sometimes in Asia Minor in compounds, see at {ποσάγω},{ποσφέρω}; Aeolic dialect πρός [Refs 7th c.BC+]; πρές [Refs 6th c.AD+]; Pamphylian περτ (ί) [Refs] (With προτί, πρός cf. Sanskrit práti 'towards, near to, against, back, etc.', Slavonic protiv[ucaron], Lett. pret 'against', Latin pretium: ποτί (which see) and πός are not cognate) [Refs 4th c.BC+] refers to that from which something…

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

πρός

pros

a strengthened form of 4253; a preposition of direction; forward to,

i.e. toward (with the genitive case, the side of, i.e. pertaining to;

with the dative case, by the side of, i.e. near to; usually with the

accusative case, the place, time, occasion, or respect, which is the

destination of the relation, i.e. whither or for which it is

predicated):--about, according to , against, among, at, because of,

before, between, (where-)by, for, X at thy house, in, for intent, nigh

unto, of, which pertain to, that, to (the end that), X together, to

(you) -ward, unto, with(-in). In the comparative case, it denotes

essentially the same applications, namely, motion towards, accession

to, or nearness at.

see GREEK for 4253

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

πρός

Prep.

to, towards, with

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

πρός pros 700x

from; met. for the benefit of, Acts 27:34; with a dative, near, by, at, by the side of, in the vicinity of, Mk. 5:11; Lk. 19:37; with an accusative, used of the place to which anything tends, to, unto, towards, Mt. 2:12; 3:5, 13; at, close upon, Mt. 3:10; Mk. 5:22; near to, in the vicinity of, Mk. 6:45; after verbs of speaking, praying, answering to a charge, etc., to, Mt. 3:15; 27:14; of place where, with, in, among, by, at, etc., Read the full entry →

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

πρός prep. with gen., implying motion from a place; with dat., abiding at a place; with acc., motion to a place

WITH GEN.,

of Place, from, from forth, Hom., Soph.

on the side or quarter of, νήσοισι πρὸς Ἤλιδος islands looking (as it were) from Elis, i. e. towards Elis, Od.; πρὸς τοῦ Ἑλλησπόντου ἵδρυται μᾶλλον ἢ τοῦ Στρύμονος lies more towards (i. e. nearer) the Hellespont than the Strymon, Hdt.; ἐστρατοπεδεύοντο πρὸς Ὀλύνθου Thuc., etc.:—often with words denoting the points of the compass, δύω θύραι εἰσίν, αἱ μὲν πρὸς βορέαο, αἱ δ᾽ αὖ πρὸς νότου one looking north wards, the other south wards, Od.; so, οἰκέουσι πρὸς νότου ἀνέμου Hdt., etc.

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep — Preposition
preposition — its sense depends on the case of the word it governs.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

PREP PREPosition

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
69%to
to69% · 506×with7% · 48×for6% · 42×toward4% · 30×against3% · 21×at3% · 20×unto2% · 18×other renderings5% · 37×other renderings1% · 10×

732 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 32 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
adverbial93%predicate5%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 700 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
ἔρχομαιI come, go
καίand, even, also,Article theνύξthe night, night
λέγωI say, speak
καίand, even, also,δέbut, on the otheἸησοῦςJesus
δέbut, on the other ha
λέγωI say, speakArticle theπαραγίνομαιI appear, come,
αὐτός
ἄγωI leadφέρωI carry, bear, bμαθητήςa learner, disci
ἐγώ
ὑπέρσῶμαbody, fleshυἱόςa son, descenden
πρόςWith700×
what comes after →
Article the
πατήρfather, Father, θεόςGod, a godμαθητήςa learner, disci
αὐτός
Article theλέγωI say, speakκαίand, even, also,
σύ
καίand, even, also,ἐνἔρχομαιI come, go
ἐγώ
καίand, even, also,Article theοὐNeg
ἀλλήλων
τίςIrgλέγωI say, speakμήNeg

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceπρός · 700× in the New Testament
Luke Acts John Mark Matthew 2 Corinthians 1 Corinthians Hebrews Romans Ephesians 1 Thessalonians Galatians

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament26 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome The Epistle of Barnabas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 3c. AD 40

ἡ δ’ ἀρχή, καθάπερ ἔφην, ἐστὶ θαυμασιωτάτη κοσμοποιίαν περιέχουσα, ὡς καὶ τοῦ κόσμου τῷ νόμῳ καὶ τοῦ νόμου τῷ κόσμῳ συνᾴδοντος καὶ τοῦ νομίμου ἀνδρὸς εὐθὺς ὄντος κοσμοπολίτου πρὸς τὸ βούλημα τῆς φύσεως τὰς πράξεις ἀπευθύνοντος, καθ’ ἣν καὶ ὁ σύμπας…

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.4c. AD 75–95

τὸν μὲν γὰρ πρὸς τοὺς Ῥωμαίους πόλεμον ἡμῖν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις γενόμενον καὶ τὰς ἐν αὐτῷ πράξεις καὶ τὸ τέλος οἷον ἀπέβη πείρᾳ μαθὼν ἐβιάσθην ἐκδιηγήσασθαι διὰ τοὺς ἐν τῷ γράφειν λυμαινομένους τὴν ἀλήθειαν,

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 2.3c. AD 100

τούτων οὖν μενόντων τὰ πρὸς κύριον ἁγνῶς, συνευφραίνονται αὐτοῖς σοφία, σύνεσις, ἐπιστήμη, γνῶσις.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 3rd c. BC 4th c. AD 6th c. AD
P.Grenf. 1 28Krokodilopolis (Pathyrites)109 BC

r … πυρὸν νέον καθαρὸν ἄδολον μέτρωι ὧι καὶ παρείληφεν καὶ ἀποκαθεστάμενον εἰς οἶκον πρὸς αὐτὸν ἰδίοις ἀνηλώμασιν. ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἀποδῶι ἐν τῶι ὡρισμένωι χρόνωι ἢ μὴ ποιῆ

P.Amh. 2 48Pathyris107 BC

παρεχέτω τὸν οἶνον μόνιμον ἕως Ἁθὺρ λ τοῦ δεκάτου ἔτους, καὶ ἀποκαταστησάτω εἰς οἶκον πρὸς αὐτὴν τοῖς ἰδίοις. ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἀποδῷ ἐν τῷ ὡρισμένῳ χρόνῳ ἀποτεισάτω ἑκάστου κεραμίου

P.Grenf. 1 30Pathyris104 BC

πᾶσι χαίρειν καὶ ἐρρωμένοις διὰ παντὸς εὐημερεῖν. ὑγιαίνομεν δὲ καὶ αὐτοί. μεταλαβόντες τοὺς συντετελεσμένους πρὸς τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς Ἑρμωνθίτας ἀγῶνας μεγάλως ἐχάρημεν. ἐπεὶ οὖν προκεχειρίκαμεν προστάτην τοῦ μεγίστου θεοῦ Νεχθφαραῦτος

Or think you that in vain the Scripture speaks? With envy yearns the Spirit that he settled in us,
φθόνονphthonos envy G5355 Noun · accusative · singular · masculine
9× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in James than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
Envy or jealousy, feeling spiteful towards someone, as mentioned in Romans 1:29 and Galatians 5:21.
Amplified meaning
jealousy, a strong desire
Tyndale gloss
envy
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word φθόνος (i.e., *phthonos*) means envy or jealousy, often associated with ill-will towards others' good fortune. It appears in several New Testament passages, including Romans 1:29 and Matthew 27:18. The lexicons agree on its primary meaning, though some entries note its broader implications, such as causing ill-will or being the subject of envy.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

** φθόνος, -ου, ὁ

[in LXX: Wi 2:24 6:23, I Mac 8:16, III Mac 6:7 * ;]

envy: Ro 1:29, Ga 5:21, I Ti 6:4, Tit 3:3, I Pe 2:1; διὰ φθόνον, Mt 27:18, Mk 15:10, Phl 1:15; πρὸς φθόνον ἐπιποθεῖ τ. πνεῦμα (on the meaning, v. R, txt., mg. 1, 2; Hort, Ja., 93 f.), Ja 4:5.†

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

φθόνος, -ov, ὁ, fr. [Pind. and] Hadt. down, envy: Ro. i. 29; Gal. vy. 21; 1 Tim.vi.4; Tit.iii.3; 1 Pet.ii. 1; διὰ φθόνον, for envy, i. e. prompted by envy [see διά, B. IL. 2b.], Mt.xxvii.18; Mk. xv. 10; Phil. i. 15, (Dio Cass. 44,36); πρὸς φθόνον ἐπιποθεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα ὃ κατῴκησεν [but see κατοικίζω] ἐν ἡμῖν ; doth the Spirit which took up its abode within us (i. 6. the Holy Spirit) long enviously? (see πρός, I. 3 g.), Jas. iv. 5 [but 7 (WH in second mrg.) drop the interrog.]; see on the pass. Grimm in the Theol. Stud. u. Krit. for 1854, p. 934sqq. [SY¥N. see Gros, 2 fin.]

Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

φθόνος, “envy ᾿᾿: cf. P Ryl IT. 1445} (A.D. 38) ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐτόλμησεν πθόνους (/. φθόνου) μοι ἐπαγαγεῖν αἰτίας τοῦ μὴ ὄντος, ‘‘moreover he had the audacity to bring baseless accusations of malice against me” (Edd.), P Oxy IT. 237%! (A.D. 186) ἐπὶ φθόνῳ δὲ μόνον [λο]ιδορούμενος, ““ but malice was the root of his abuse”’ (Edd.: but see their note ad 4.),

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

φθόνος (phthonos) — envy.

φθόνος, ὁ,

ill-will or malice, especially envy or jealousy of the good fortune of others [Refs 5th c.BC+]through envy, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; opposed to εὔνοια, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; opposed to ἔπαινος, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἴσχει ὄλβος φθόνον incurs envy, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; κρέσσων οἰκτιρμοῦ φθόνος better to be envied than pitied ! [Refs 5th c.BC+]; φ. συνεστιώμενος, of wealth, [NT+5th c.BC+]: with genitive objecti, envy for, jealousy of, τῶν πεπραγμένων [Refs 5th c.BC+]; φθόνον δὲ σωμάτων ἕξει θεός i.e. will grudge, deny, [Refs 4th c.BC+]: with genitive subjunctive, envy or jealousy felt by another, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: plural, envyings, jealousies, heartburnings, [Refs 5th c.BC+]

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

φθόνος

phthonos

probably akin to the base of 5351; ill-will (as detraction), i.e.

jealousy (spite):--envy.

see GREEK for 5351

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

φθόνος, ου, ὁ

n.m.

envy, a grudge

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

φθόνος phthonos 9x

envy, jealously, spite, Mt. 27:18; Mk. 15:10; Rom. 1:29; Gal. 5:21; Phil. 1:15; 1 Tim. 6:4; Tit. 3:3; Jas. 4:5; 1 Pet. 2:1*

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

φθόνος φθόνος, ὁ, ill-will, envy, jealousy, Lat. invidia, Hdt., etc.; φθόνον ἔχειν to feel envy or jealousy, Aesch.; but, also, to incur envy or dislike, Pind.; so, φθόνον ἀλφάνειν Eur., etc.:—c. gen. objecti, envy for, jealousy of, τῶν Ἑλλήνων φθόνῳ Hdt., etc.; but c. gen. subjecti, envy or jealousy felt by another, Eur., etc.:— in pl. envyings, jealousies, heartburnings, Isocr.

jealousy was ascribed to the gods, τὸν φθόνον πρόσκυσον deprecate their jealousy, Soph.

refusal from ill-will or envy, οὐδεὶς φθόνος, c. inf., said when you grant a request willingly, Plat.; so, ἀποκτείνειν φθόνος [ἐστί] 'tis invidious, I dare not tell, Eur.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Noun-ASM — Noun · accusative · singular · masculine
accusative — the one it is done to — the object.
Agrees with anything else marked singular masculine.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

N-ASM Part of Speech: Noun Case: Accusative Number: Singular Gender: Masculine

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

en'-vi (qin'ah; zelos, phthonos):

"Envy," from Latin in, "against," and video, "to look," "to look with ill-will," etc., toward another, is an evil strongly condemned in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. It is to be distinguished from jealousy. "We are jealous of our own; we are envious of another man's possessions. Jealousy fears to lose what it has; envy is pained at seeing another have" (Crabb's English Synonyms). In the Old Testament it is the translation of qin'ah from kana', "to redden," "to glow" (Job 5:2, the Revised Version (British and American) "jealousy," margin "indignation"; in Isa 26:11 the Revised Version (British and American) renders "see thy zeal for the people"; Pr 27:4, etc.); the verb occurs in…

Nave's Topical Bible

→ General scriptures concerning Job 5:2,3; Ps 37:1,7; 49:16; 73:3,17-20; 112:10; Pr 3:31; 14:30; 23:17; 24:1,19; 27:4; Ec 4:4; So 8:6; Isa 26:11; Eze 35:11; Ro 1:29; 13:13; 1Co 3:3; 13:4; 2Co 12:20; Ga 5:19-21,26; 1Ti 6:4,5;

- Forbidden

Pr 3:31; Ro 13:13

- Produced by foolish disputation

1Ti 6:4

- Excited by good deeds of others

Ec 4:4

- A work of the flesh

Ga 5:21; Jas 4:5

- Hurtful to the envious

Job 5:2; Pr 14:30

- None can stand before

Pr 27:4

- A proof of carnal-mindedness

1Co 3:1,3

- Inconsistent with the gospel

Jas 3:14

Thompson Chain Reference topics

(1) Forbidden

Ps 37:1; Pr 3:31; 14:30; 23:17; 24:1; Ro 13:13

1Co 13:4; Ga 5:26; Jas 3:14

(2) Examples of

Ge 4:5; 26:14; 37:11; Nu 16:3; Es 5:13; Ps 73:3; Da 6:4

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
78%envy
envy78% · 7×envyings11% · 1×envies11% · 1×

9 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 3 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
adverbial67%predicate11%subject11%object11%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 9 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
διά
ὅτιthat, since, becκαίand, even, also,
καίand, even, also, nam
κακίαevil, wickednessὑπόκρισιςhypocrisy, disse
μεστόςfull
κακίαevil, wickedness
γίνομαιI come into being, a
ὅς
πρός
λέγωI say, speak
φθόνοςenvy
what comes after →
παραδίδωμιI hand over, deliver
αὐτός
καίand, even, also, nam
ἔριςcontention, striπᾶςall, the whole,
φόνοςmurder, slaughter
ἔριςcontention, stri
μέθηdrunkenness
κῶμοςa feasting, reve
ἔριςcontention, strife
βλασφημίαabusive or scurr

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceφθόνος · 9× in the New Testament
1 Peter 1 Timothy Galatians James Matthew Mark Philippians Romans Titus
Across the New Testament9 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Cherubim 33c. AD 40

ἕως μὲν αἴσια ἀπαντᾷ τὰ ἀφ’ ἑκάστου, γεγηθὼς ἐπιβέβηκε καὶ ἐποχεῖται καὶ ἐνειλημμένος ἀπρὶξ ἔχεται μεθέσθαι τὸ παράπαν οὐ δικαιῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἀφίστασθαι λέγουσι καὶ μέτρα ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις περιθεῖναι διὰ τὸ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἀτέκμαρτον βασκανίαν…

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.259c. AD 75–95

ὑποδέχεται δʼ αὐτὸν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀβιμέλεχος κατὰ ξενίαν καὶ φιλίαν τὴν Ἁβράμου καὶ πολλῇ πάνυ πρὸς αὐτὸν εὐνοίᾳ χρησάμενος κατʼ ἀρχὰς ἐπὶ ταύτης ὑπὸ φθόνου μεῖναι πρὸς τὸ πᾶν ἐκωλύθη.

Clement of RomeFirst Clement 3.2c. AD 96

ἐκ τούτου ζῆλος καὶ φθόνος, καὶ ἔρις, καὶ στάσις, διωγμὸς καὶ ἀκαταστασία, πόλεμος καὶ αἰχμαλωσία.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
4th c. AD 6th c. AD 2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 1st c. AD
P.Ryl. 2 144Euhemeria (ArsinoitesAD 38

ἄσχημα καὶ ἐνειλούμενός μοι ἀπώλεσα πινακίδα καὶ ἀργυρίου δραχμὰς ξ, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐτόλμησεν φθόνου μοι ἐπαγαγεῖν αἰτίας τοῦ μὴ ὄντος. διὸ ἀξιῶ γράψαι ἀχθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐπὶ σὲ πρὸς

P.Mich. 6 423Karanis (ArsinoitesAD 197

ἐπῆλθεν μετὰ τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ Ζηνᾶ τινος ἔχοντες βρέφος βουλόμενοι τὸν γεωργόν μου φθόνῳ περικλεῖσαι ὥστε καταλεῖψαι τὴν ἰδίαν γεωργίαν μετὰ τὸ θερίσαι ἐκ μέρους ἀπὸ ἑτέρου μου

P.Oxy. 3 533Oxyrhynchos (OxyrhynchitesAD 176–AD 225

γὰρ … … ον ἐστὶν τοιαύτην οἰκίαν παραβάλλειν νεανίσκοις ἵνα μὴ ἔχωμεν στομάχους μηδὲ φθόνον. εἴπατε Ζωίλῳ τῷ ἀπὸ Σεντὼ γεωργῷ ὅτι κατὰ τὰς συνθήκας φρόντισον τοῦ χαλκοῦ. εἴπατε

Or think you that in vain the Scripture speaks? With envy yearns the Spirit that he settled in us,
ἐπιποθεῖepipotheō yearns G1971 Verb · present · active · indicative · third person · singular
9× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
commoner in James than anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
To long for something or someone deeply, as in Romans 1:11 where Paul expresses his desire to visit the Roman church. This word conveys a strong yearning or craving. It can also describe a strong emotional attachment.
Amplified meaning
longs, earnestly desires
Tyndale gloss
to long for
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word ἐπιποθέω (epipotheo) combines the prefix ἐπί and πόθος, meaning to long for or desire intensely. It is used in various contexts in the New Testament, such as in Romans 1:11 and 2 Corinthians 5:2, to express a strong yearning or craving, whether for something or someone.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ἐπι-ποθέω, -ῶ

[in LXX for יָאַב, אָרַג, כָּסַף hi., etc. ;]

to long for, desire: c. inf., Ro 1:11, II Co 5:2, I Th 3:6, II Ti 1:4, Phl 2:26 (WH, [txt.]); c. acc rei, I Pe 2:2; c. acc pers., II Co 9:14, Phl 1:8 2:26 (WH, mg); absol., Ja 4:5 (v. Mayor, in l.).†

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ἐπι-ποθέω, -@; 1 aor. ἐπεπόθησα; prop. πόθον ἔχω ἐπί τι [i. 6. ἐπί is directive, not intensive; cf. ἐπί, D. 2] (ef. Fritzsche on Rom. vol. i. p. 30 sq.) ; to long for, desire: foll. by the inf. 2 Co. v. 2; ἰδεῖν τινα, Ro.i. 11; 1 Th. iii. 6; 2 Tim. i. 4; Phil. ii. 26 L br. WH txt. br.; τί, 1 Pet. ii. 2 (ἐπί τι, Ps. xli. (xlii.) 2); twa, to be possessed with a desire for, long for, [W. § 30. 10 b.], Phil. ii. 26 RGTTrWH arg. ; to pursue with love, to long after: 2 Co. ix. 14; Phil. i. 8, (ras ἐντολὰς θεοῦ, Ps. exviii. (cxix.) 131); absol. to lust [i. 6. harbor forbidden desire]: Jas. iv. 5, on which pass. see φθόνος. (Hadt., Plat., Diod., Plut., Leian.)* > ͵ ἐπιπόθησις

Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ἐπιποθέω (epipotheō) — to long for.

ἐπιποθ-έω,

desire besides or yearn after, c.accusative, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; feel the want of, [LXX+5th c.BC+]

Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἐπιποθέω

epipotheo

from 1909 and potheo (to yearn); to dote upon, i.e. intensely crave

possession (lawfully or wrongfully):--(earnestly) desire (greatly),

(greatly) long (after), lust.

see GREEK for 1909

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ἐπιποθέω

v.

I long for, strain after, desire greatly

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἐπιποθέω epipotheō 9x

to desire besides; also, to desire earnestly, long for, 2 Cor. 5:2; to have a strong bent, Jas. 4:5; by impl. to love, have affection for, 2 Cor. 9:14

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ἐπιποθέω fut. ήσω to yearn after, Hdt., Plat.

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-PAI-3S — Verb · present · active · indicative · third person · singular
present active indicative — an action in progress.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-PAI-3S Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Present Voice: Active Mood: Indicative Person: third Number: Singular

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
44%longing
longing44% · 4×i long11% · 1×i long after11% · 1×longing after11% · 1×yearns11% · 1×do crave11% · 1×

9 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 6 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
verb100%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 9 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
ἐπενδύωI put on over
οὐρανόςthe sky, the hea
σύ
ὑπέρ
ὡςas, like as, how, wh
θεόςGod, a god
ἐπειδήwhen, since
πάντοτεalways, at all times
ἀγαθόςgood
ἐπιποθέωyearns
what comes after →
σύ
διάὁράωI see, look upon
γάρfor
ὁράωI see, look upon
πᾶςall, the whole, ever
σύ
εἰμίI am, exist
πᾶςall, the whole,
ἐγώ
ὁράωI see, look upon

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceἐπιποθέω · 9× in the New Testament
2 Corinthians Philippians 1 Peter 1 Thessalonians 2 Timothy James Romans
Across the New Testament7 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 10c. AD 40

καὶ γὰρ πατὴρ ἐκγόνων καὶ δημιουργὸς τῶν δημιουργηθέντων στοχάζεται τῆς διαμονῆς καὶ ὅσα μὲν ἐπιζήμια καὶ βλαβερὰ μηχανῇ πάσῃ διωθεῖται, τὰ δὲ ὅσα ὠφέλιμα καὶ λυσιτελῆ κατὰ πάντα τρόπον ἐκπορίζειν ἐπιποθεῖ·

Or think you that in vain the Scripture speaks? With envy yearns the Spirit that he settled in us,
τὸho the G3588 Article · nominative · singular · neuter
19,783× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in James as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
The Greek word for 'the' or 'this', used to point out a specific person or thing, like in Acts 17:28. It can also mean 'he', 'she', or 'it'.
Tyndale gloss
the/this/who
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The definite article — the commonest word in the Greek New Testament at 19,867 occurrences. Greek uses it more freely than English does and can drop it deliberately, so its presence and its absence both carry weight for a translator; but no single occurrence carries a message of its own. Here it simply gathers “the things” into one definite bundle.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ὁ, ἡ, τό,

the prepositive article (ἄρθρον προτακτικόν), originally a demonstr. pron. (so usually in Hom.), in general corresponding to the Eng. definite article.

As demonstr. pron.

As freq. in Hom., absol., he (she, it), his (etc.): Ac 17:28 (quoted from the poet Aratus).

Distributive, ὁ μὲν . . . ὁ δέ, the one . . . the other: I Co 7:7, Ga 4:22; pl., Ac 14:4, 17:32, Phl 1:16, al.; οἱ μὲν . . . ἄλλοι δέ, Mt 16:14, Jo 7:12; οἱ μεν̀ . . . ὁ δέ, He 7:21, 23.

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ὁ 435 ὁ tives of quantity, ὅλος, πᾶς, πολύς, see each in its own place. d. What has been said concerning adjectives holds true also of all other limitations added to substantives, as ἡ κατ᾽ ἐκλογὴν πρόθεσις, Ro. ix. 11; ἡ παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ διαθήκη, Ro. xi. 27; 6 λόγος 6 τοῦ σταυροῦ, 1 Co. i. 18; ἡ εἰς Χριστὸν πίστις, Col. ii. 5; on the other hand, ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν ἡ πρὸς τὸν θεόν, 1 Th. i. 8; τῆς διακονίας τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους, 2 Co. viii. 4; see many other exx. of each usage in W. 131 (124) sqq.; [B. 91 (80) sqq.]. e. The noun has the article before it when a demonstrative pronoun (υὗτος, ἐκεῖνος) belonging to it either precedes or follows [W. § 18, 4; B. § 127, 29-31]; as, ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος, Jn. ix. 24 [οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρ. 1, Tr mrg. WH); Acts vi. 13; xxii. 26; ὁ λαὸς οὗτος, Mt. xv. 8; 6 vids σου οὗτος, Lk. xv. 30; plur. Lk. xxiv. 17, and numberless other exx.; οὗτος 6 ἄνθρωπος, Lk. xiv. 30; οὗτος ὁ…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

ὃ, ἡ τό. (1) Apart from connexion with μέν or δέ (see below) the demonstrative use of the art. in the NT is confined to a poetical quotation Ac 1778, but it is not uncommon in the papyri, e.g. P Par 45® (B.C. 153) (= Witkowski®, p. 85) τὰ (for ἃ) πράσεις (Δ πράσσεις), P Oxy VIII. 1160! (iii/iv A.D.) Ta (for ἃ) σεσύλληχα (for συνείληχα) δὲ κέρμα {ταν τηρῶ αὐτὰ εἰς τὴν δίκην, “1 am keeping for the trial the money that I have collected” (Ed.). For the distributive Opéev.. - 6 8€, as in 1 Cor7’, cf. P Lond 535 (B.c. 161) (=I. p. 19, U.P.Z. i. p. 239) kal τὰ μὲν ἡμῶν ἐληφότων εἰς τὴν γινομένην ἡμῖν συντάξειν, τὰ δ᾽ ἔτι διὰ τὴν τῶν ὑποτεταγμένων {(.. ... > παρελκομένων. (2) The use of the art. as a relative, of which there is no trace in the NT, may again be illustrated by the following papyrus citations from ¢c. A.D. 346—P Lond 414® (= II. Ῥ. 292) γεινῴσκιν oe θέλω περὶ τοῦ βρεουίου…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ὁ (ho) — the/this/who.

ὁ,

ἡ, τό, is, when thus written,

__A demonstrative Pronoun.

__B in Attic dialect, definite or prepositive Article.

__C in Epic dialect, the so-called postpositive Article, = relative Pronoun, ὅς, ἥ, ὅ.—The nominative masculine and feminine singular and plural, ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ, have no accent in codices and most printed books, except when used as the relative; but ὁ, ἡ, οἱ, αἱ differ only in writing from ὃ, ἣ, οἳ, α; the nominative forms of the article are said by Hdn.Gr.1.474 to be oxytone, and by [Refs 2nd c.AD+] in Aeolic dialect accusative to [Refs 8th c.BC+] genitive and dative dual τοῖιν [Refs 8th c.BC+]— In Doric dialect and all other dialects except Attic dialect and Ionic dialect the feminine forms preserve the old ᾱ instead of changing it to η, hence Doric dialect etc. ἁ, τάν, τᾶ; the genitive plural τάων contracts in many dialects to τᾶ; the genitive…

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

ὁ ἡ τό

ho

he hay, and the neuter

to to

in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be

supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one,

he, she, it, etc.

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ὁ, ἡ, τό

Article

the

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ὁ ho 19x

the prepositive article, answering, to a considerable extent, to the English definite article; but, for the principle and facts of its usage, consult a grammar; ὁ μὲν ... ὁ δέ, the one ... the other, Phil. 1:16, 17; Heb. 7:5, 6, 20, 21, 23, 24; pl. some ... others, Mt. 13:23; 22:5, 6; ὁ δέ, but he, Mt. 4:4; 12:48; οἱ δέ, but others, Mt. 28:17; used, in a poetic quotation, for a personal pronoun, Acts 17:28

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ὁ the, that

ὁ, ἡ, τό, is

demonstr. Pronoun.

the definite Article.

in epic, the relative Pronoun, when it is written with the accent ὅ, ἥ, τό ῀ ὅς, ἥ, ὅ. Besides the common forms, note epic gen. sg. τοῖο for τοῦ; pl. nom. τοί, ταί; gen. fem. τάων [α^], dat. τοῖσι, τῇς and τῇσι; dual gen, and dat. τοῖιν:— in Trag. we find τοὶ μέν . . , τοὶ δέ . . , for οἱ μέν . . , οἱ δέ . . ; dat. pl. also τοῖσι, ταῖσι: the dual has commonly but one gender, τώ for τά, τοῖν for ταῖν.

DEMONSTR. PRONOUN:

joined with a Subst., not as the Art., but like Lat. ille, ὁ Τυδείδης Tydeus's famous son, Il.; Νέστωρ ὁ γέρων Nestor— that aged man, id. Il.; τιμῆς τῆς Πριάμου for honour, namely that of Priam, id. Il.

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art-NSN — Article · nominative · singular · neuter
nominative — the one doing it — the subject.
Agrees with anything else marked singular neuter.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

T-NSN Part of Speech: definite arTicle Case: Nominative Number: Singular Gender: Neuter

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

THE, an adjective or definitive adjective.

1. This adjective is used as a definitive, that is, before nouns which are specific or understood; or it is used to limit their signification to a specific thing or things, or to describe them; as the laws of the twelve tables. the independent tribunals of justice in our country, are the security or private rights, and the best bulwark against arbitrary power. the sun is the source of light and heat.

This he calls the preaching of the cross.

2. the is also used rhetorically before a noun in the singular number, to denote a species by way of distinction; a single thing representing the whole. the fig tree putteth forth her green figs; the almond tree shall flourish; the grasshopper shall be a burden.

3. In poetry, the sometimes loses the final vowel before another vowel.

Th' adorning thee with so much art,

Is but a barb'rous skill.

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
64%the
the64% · 13160×<the>28% · 5846×those3% · 597×other renderings4% · 788×other renderings1% · 294×

20,685 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 83 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
subject34%adverbial32%object24%predicate5%indirect object4%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 19,783 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
καίand, even, also, nam
αὐτόςεἰμίI am, existἐγώ
ἐν
καίand, even, also,αὐτόςArticle the
εἰς
αὐτόςεἰσέρχομαιI go in, come inἔρχομαιI come, go
αὐτός
λέγωI say, speakδέbut, on the otheπρός
εἰμίI am, exist
οὗτοςσύἐγώ
the19783×
what comes after →
θεόςGod, a god
Article theκαίand, even, also,ἐγώ
δέbut, on the other ha
λέγωI say, speakἸησοῦςJesusἀποκρίνομαιI answer, reply
ἸησοῦςJesus
λέγωI say, speakκαίand, even, also,Article the
κύριοςlord, Lord, master,
ἐγώἸησοῦςJesusArticle the
πατήρfather, Father, ance
ἐγώσύαὐτός

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordance · 19,783× in the New Testament
Matthew Acts Luke John Revelation Mark Romans 1 Corinthians Hebrews 2 Corinthians Ephesians 1 John

40 inflected forms — one of the commonest words in the New Testament. Full distribution →

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Josephus Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Clement of Rome The Epistle of Barnabas
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 1c. AD 40

Τῶν ἄλλων νομοθετῶν οἱ μὲν ἀκαλλώπιστα καὶ γυμνὰ τὰ νομισθέντα παρ’ αὐτοῖς εἶναι δίκαια διετάξαντο, οἱ δὲ πολὺν ὄγκον τοῖς νοήμασι προσπεριβαλόντες ἐξετύφωσαν τὰ πλήθη μυθικοῖς πλάσμασι τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπικρύψαντες.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.argc. AD 75–95

τοῦ κόσμου σύστασις καὶ διάταξις τῶν στοιχείων.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.1c. AD 100

Χαίρετε, υἱοὶ καὶ θυγατέρες, ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντος ἡμᾶς, ἐν εἰρήνῃ.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 1st c. AD 3rd c. BC 6th c. AD
P.Stras. 2 89Pathyris100 BC

r βασιλεύοντος Πτολεμαίου τοῦ ἐπικαλουμένου Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Βερενίκης τῆς ἀδελφῆς θεῶν Φιλομητόρων ἔτους ιε, ἐφʼ ἱερέων καὶ ἱερειῶν

P.Adl. 11Pathyris99 BC

ιζ Θῶυθ κη ἀπέδοτο Πετεσοῦχος Φίβιος καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τὸ ὕπαρχον αὐτοῖς ἥμισυ περιστερῶνος τοῦ ὄντος ἐν τῶι ἀπὸ βορρᾶ μέρει Παθύρεως χαλκοῦ Γ. ἐπρίατο Ὧρος Νεχούτου.

P.Grenf. 2 35Pathyris99 BC

βασιλευόντων Πτολεμαίου τοῦ ἐπικαλουμένου Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ Βερενίκης τῆς ἀδελφῆς θεῶν φιλομητόρων ἔτους ιϛ, ἐφʼ ἱερέων καὶ ἱερειῶν

Or think you that in vain the Scripture speaks? With envy yearns the Spirit that he settled in us,
πνεῦμαpneuma Spirit G4151 Noun · nominative · singular · neuter
379× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
rarer in James than elsewhere in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
The Greek word for spirit or breath refers to the vital principle or mental disposition of a person, as seen in John 3:8 and 1 Corinthians 5:5. It can also mean a superhuman spirit, like the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:2.
Amplified meaning
the divine breath, God's presence
Tyndale gloss
spirit/breath: spirit
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Greek word πνεῦμα (i.e., *pneuma*) means 'spirit' or 'breath' and is derived from the verb πνέω (to blow). It encompasses various meanings, including air in motion, the vital principle of life, and spiritual beings such as angels and demons. In the New Testament, it frequently refers to the Holy Spirit and the human spirit, appearing in contexts that contrast it with the body or flesh.

Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament — πνοή, πνεῦμα, ἄνεμος, θύελλα from a scan

From the words into comparison with which πνεῦμα is here brought, it will be evident that it is proposed to deal with it in its natural and earthly, not in its supernatural and heavenly, meaning. Only I will observe, that on the relations between πνοή and πνεῦμα in this its higher sense there is a discussion in Augustine, De Civ. Dei, xiii. 22; cf. De Anim. et huj. Orig. i. 14, 19. The first three words of this group, as they designate not things heavenly but things earthly, differ from one another exactly as, according to Seneca, do in the Latin ‘aér,’ ‘spiritus,’ ‘ ventus’ (Nat. Qu. v. 13) : ‘Spiritum a vento motus' separat; vehementior enim spiritus ventus est; invicem spiritus leviter fluens aer.’ Πνοή and πνεῦμα occur not seldom together, as at Isai. xlii. 5; lvii. 16; πνοή conveying the impression of a lighter, gentler, motion of the air than πνεῦμα, as ‘aura’ than ‘ventus.’…

Read the full entry →
Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

πνεῦμα, -τος, τό,

(< πνέω),

[in LXX chiefly and very freq. for רוּחַ;]

of air in motion;

wind: Jo 3:8; pl., He 1:7(LXX);

breath: π. ζωῆς, Re 11:11; π. τοῦ στόματος, fig., II Th 2:8 (cf. Ps 32 (33):6).

Of the vital principle, the spirit (Arist., Polyb., al.): Lk 8:55, Jo 19:30, Ac 7:59, al.; opp. to σάρξ, Mt 26:41, Mk 14:38, I Co 5:5, al.; to σῶμα, Ro 8:10, I Co 6:17 7:34,

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

πνεῦμα, -τος, τό, (πνέω), Grk. writ. fr. Aeschyl. and Hdt. down; Hebr. may, Lat. spiritus; i. 6. 1. a movement of air, (gentle) blast; a. of the wind: ἀνέμων πνεύματα, Hat. 7,16, 1; Paus. 5, 25; hence the wind itself, Jn. iii. 8; plur. Heb. i. 7, (1 K. xviii. 45; xix. 11; Job i. 19; Ps. ciii. (civ.) 4, etc.; often in Grk. writ.). b. breath of the nostrils or mouth, often in Grk. writ. fr. Aeschyl. down: πνεῦμα τοῦ στόματος, 2 Th. ii. 8 (Ps. xxxii. (xxxiii.) 6, ef. Is. xi. 4); mv. ζωῆς, the breath of life, Rev. xi. 11 (Gen. vi. 17, cf. πνοὴ ζωῆς, il. 7). [πνεῦμα and πνοή seem to have been in the main coincident terms; but avon became the more poetical. Both retain a suggestion of their evident etymology. Even in class. Grk. πνεῦμα became as freq. and as wide in its application as ἄνεμος. (Schmidt ch. 55, 7; Trench § lxxiii.) ] 2. the spirit, i.e. the vital principle by which the body 18…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

πνεῦμα. This is a notable ex. of those words, whose meaning has been so deepened and enriched through Christian influences, that we cannot expect our sources to throw much light on their use in the NT. One or two points may, however, be noted. Thus for the more literal meaning of the word we may cite P Oxy VI. 9047 (v/A.D.), where a certain Flavius petitions a praeses on the ground ὡς λοιπὸν εἰς αὐτὸ τὸ τῆς σωτηρίας πνεῦμα δυστυχῖν pe, “so that at last the very breath of my life is in danger” (Edd.). In P Leid Wii 2 (ii/iii A.D.) (= II. p. 157) reference is made to a book which περιέχει γέννησιν πνεύματος, πυρὸς Kal okdTo(=ov)s, ‘contains the creation of spirit, fire and darkness.” The same document αν. 4 shows οὐ ἀντιτάξεταί μοι πᾶν πνεῦμα, οὐ δαιμόνιον, οὐ συνάτ(--άντ)ημα. Reminiscent of LXX Numb 1622, 2716, isthe Jewish ‘‘ prayer for vengeance” from Rheneia, Sy// 816 (=#1181)*, which…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

πνεῦμα (pneuma) — spirit/breath: spirit.

πνεῦμα, ατος, τό,

(πνέω) blast, wind, first in [Refs 6th c.BC+]: frequently in Trag., etc., ἀνέμων πνεύματα πάντων [Refs 4th c.BC+]; θαλάσσας.. πνεύματι λάβρῳ [Refs 5th c.BC+] is commoner in Poets; [Refs 8th c.BC+]; κατὰ πρύμναν ἵσταται τὸ π.[Refs 5th c.BC+]; κατὰ πνεῦμα στῆναι τοῦ ἄρρενος to leeward of him, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; but κατὰ π. προσιόντες down wind, [Refs]; πνεύματος ἀνείλησις, ἐκπύρωσις, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; as an element, air, [Refs 3rd c.AD+]

2. metaphorically, θαλερωτέρῳ π. with more genial breeze or influence, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; αἰδοίῳ π. χώρας with air or spirit of respect on the part of the country, [Refs]; π. ταὐτὸν οὔποτ᾽.. ἐν ἀνδράσιν φίλοις βέβηκεν the…

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

πνεῦμα

pneuma

from 4154; a current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze; by

analogy or figuratively, a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by

implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or

(superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the

Holy Spirit:--ghost, life, spirit(-ual, -ually), mind. Compare 5590.

see GREEK for 4154

see GREEK for 5590

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

πνεῦμα, ατος, τό

n.n.

wind, breath, spirit

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

πνεῦμα pneuma 379x

wind, air in motion, Jn. 3:8; breath, 2 Thess. 2:8; the substance spirit, Jn. 3:6; a spirit, spiritual being, Jn. 4:24; Acts 23:8, 9; Heb. 1:14; a bodiless spirit, specter, Lk. 24:37; a foul spirit, δαιμόνιον, Mt. 8:16; Lk. 10:20; spirit, as a vital principle, Jn. 6:63; 1 Cor.…

Read the full entry →
Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

πνεῦμα πνεῦμα, ατος, τό, πνέω a blowing, πνεύματα ἀνέμων Hdt., Aesch.: alone, a wind, blast, Trag., etc.

metaph., θαλερωτέρῳ πν. with more genial breeze or influence, Aesch.; λύσσης πν. μάργῳ id. Aesch.; πν. ταὐτὸν οὔποτ᾽ ἐν ἀνδράσιν φίλοις βέβηκεν the wind is constantly changing even among friends, Soph.

like Lat. spiritus or anima, breathed air, breath, Aesch.; πν. βίου the breath of life, id. Aesch.; πν. ἀθροίζειν to collect breath, Eur.; πν. ἀφιέναι, ἀνιέναι, μεθιέναι to give up the ghost, id. Eur.; πνεύματος διαρροαί the wind-pipe, id. Eur.

that is breathed forth, odour, scent, id. Eur.

spirit, Lat. afflatus, Anth.: inspiration, NTest.

the spirit of man, id. NTest.

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Noun-NSN — Noun · nominative · singular · neuter
nominative — the one doing it — the subject.
Agrees with anything else marked singular neuter.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

N-NSN Part of Speech: Noun Case: Nominative Number: Singular Gender: Neuter

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

spir'-it (ruach; pneuma; Latin, spiritus):

1. Primary and Figurative Senses

(1) As Wind, Breath

(2) As Anger or Fury

(3) As Mental and Moral Qualities in Man

2. Shades of Meaning

(1) As Life-Principle

(2) As Surviving Death

(3) Spiritual Manifestations

3. Human and Divine Spirit

(1) The Human as Related with the Divine

(2) Operations of the Divine Spirit as Third Person of the Trinity

4. Old Testament Applications

5. Various Interpretations

1. Primary and Figurative Senses:

(1) As Wind, Breath:

Used primarily in the Old Testament and New Testament of the wind, as in Ge 8:1; Nu 11:31; Am 4:13 ("createth the wind"); Heb 1:7 (angels, "spirits" or "winds" in margin); often used of the breath, as…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Spirit

(Heb. ruah; Gr. pneuma), properly wind or breath. In 2 Thess. 2:8 it means “breath,” and in Eccl. 8:8 the vital principle in man. It also denotes the rational, immortal soul by which man is distinguished (Acts 7:59; 1 Cor. 5:5; 6:20; 7:34), and the soul in its separate state (Heb. 12:23), and hence also an apparition (Job 4:15; Luke 24:37, 39), an angel (Heb. 1:14), and a demon (Luke 4:36; 10:20). This…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A word employed in various senses in Scripture.

1. For THE HOLY, HOLINESS SPIRIT, the third person of the Holy Trinity, who inspired the prophets, animates good men, pours his unction into our hearts, imparts to us life and comfort; and in whose name we are baptized and blessed, as well as in that of the Father and the Son. When the adjective Holy is applied to the term Spirit, we should always understand it as here explained; but there are many places whether it must be taken in this sense, although the term Holy is omitted. See HOLY, HOLINESS SPIRIT.

2. BREATH, respiration; or the principle of animal life, common to men and animal: this God has given, and this he recalls when he takes away life, Ec 3:21. See SOUL.

Nave's Topical Bible

→ Called “the inner man,” Ro 7:22; Eph 3:16

→ See ANGELS

→ See DEMONS

→ See HOLY SPIRIT

→ See MAN, A SPIRIT

→ See SATAN

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
90%spirit
spirit90% · 346×spirits8% · 31×other renderings2% · 8×

385 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 9 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
adverbial39%subject29%object21%predicate7%indirect object2%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 379 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
Article the
καίand, even, also,δέbut, on the otheτίςIrg
ἐν
βαπτίζωI dip, submerge,δέbut, on the otheἄνθρωποςa man, one of th
ἅγιοςset apart, holy, sac
Article theγάρforσύ
αὐτός
Article theθυγάτριονa little daughteλέγωI say, speak
καίand, even, also, nam
πίνωI drink, imbibeἸσραήλPropμάστιξa scourge, lash,
πνεῦμαSpirit379×
what comes after →
Article the
ἅγιοςset apart, holy,ἀκάθαρτοςunclean, impureθεόςGod, a god
ἅγιοςset apart, holy, sac
καίand, even, also,Article theἀτενίζωI direct my gaze
καίand, even, also, nam
Article theδύναμιςmight, power, maἀλήθειαtruth
ἐγώ
ἐπίἐπιτάσσωI give order, coοὗτος
εἰμίI am, exist
Article theἅγιοςset apart, holy,καίand, even, also,

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceπνεῦμα · 379× in the New Testament
Acts 1 Corinthians Luke Romans John Revelation Mark Matthew Galatians 2 Corinthians Ephesians 1 John

Every reference is on the Strong's page.

Across the New Testament25 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The Hebrew behind itwhat the Septuagint translators were rendering

Counted over the 173 Old Testament verses where this Greek word stands: which Hebrew word keeps standing there too. A correspondence of verses rather than a word-by-word alignment, so read the percentage as strength of evidence, not as a claim about any single verse.

Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria The Shepherd of Hermas Josephus Clement of Rome Ignatius of Antioch
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 29c. AD 40

εἶθ’ ὕδατος ἀσώματον οὐσίαν καὶ πνεύματος καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν ἑβδόμου φωτός, ὃ πάλιν ἀσώματον ἦν καὶ νοητὸν ἡλίου παράδειγμα καὶ πάντων ὅσα φωσφόρα ἄστρα κατὰ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἔμελλε συνίστασθαι.

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.27c. AD 75–95

ταύτης δʼ ὑπʼ ὄψιν οὐκ ἐρχομένης, ἀλλὰ βαθεῖ μὲν κρυπτομένης σκότει, πνεύματος δʼ αὐτὴν ἄνωθεν ἐπιθέοντος, γενέσθαι φῶς ἐκέλευσεν ὁ θεός.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 1.2c. AD 100

Μεγάλων μὲν ὄντων καὶ πλουσίων τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιωμάτων εἰς ὑμᾶς, ὑπέρ τι καὶ καθ̓ ὑπερβολὴν ὑπερευφραίνομαι ἐπὶ τοῖς μακαρίοις καὶ ἐνδόξοις ὑμῶν πνεύμασιν: οὕτως ἔμφυτον τῆς δωρεᾶς πνευματικῆς χάριν εἰλήφατε.

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
7th c. AD 4th c. AD 8th c. AD 5th c. AD 6th c. AD

ἐν ὀνόματι τῆς ἁγίας καὶ ὁμοουσίου τριάδος πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος βασιλείας τοῦ θειοτάτου καὶ εὐσεβεστάτου ἡμῶν δεσπότου Φλαυίου Φωκᾶ τοῦ αἰωνίου Αὐγούστου Αὐτοκράτορος καὶ

Tyche 20 (2005), p. 1-9HerakleopolitesAD 603

r ἐν ὀνόματι τῆς ἁγίας τριάδος πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος καὶ τῆς δεσποίνης ἡμῶν τῆς θεοτόκου καὶ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων, βασιλείας τοῦ θειοτάτου καὶ

SB 1 4740ArsinoitesAD 602–AD 610

ἐν ὀνόματι τῆς ἁγίας καὶ ὁμοουσίου τριάδος πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος καὶ τῆς δεσποίνης

Or think you that in vain the Scripture speaks? With envy yearns the Spirit that he settled in us,
hos, hē that G3739 Relative pronoun · accusative · singular · neuter
1,407× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
rarer in James than elsewhere in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
The word which is a pronoun used to ask for or identify something, as seen in John 5:11. It can also be used to describe a person or thing, such as in Mark 15:23. This word helps to clarify or specify what is being talked about.
Tyndale gloss
which
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

ὅς is a pronoun meaning 'who,' 'which,' 'what,' or 'that.' It serves as both a demonstrative and a relative pronoun, agreeing in gender with its antecedent. The New Testament uses it in various constructions, including phrases like ὃς μὲν... ὃς δέ to indicate contrasting subjects. Notably, it can express purpose or cause in certain contexts.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ὅς, ἥ, ὅ,

the postpositive article (ἄρθρον ὑποτακτικόν).

As demonstr. pron. = οὗτος, ὅδε, this, that, also for αὐτός, chiefly in nom.: ὅς δέ, but he (cf. ἦ δὲ ὅς, freq. in Plat.), Mk 15:23, Jo 5:11; ὃς μὲν . . . ὃς δέ, the one . . . the other, Mt 21:35 22:5 25:15, Lk 23:33, Ac 27:14, Ro 14:5, I Co 11:21, II Co 2:16, Ju 22; neut., ὃ μὲν . . . ὃ δέ, the one . . . the other, some . . . some, Mt 13:8, 23, Read the full entry →

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ὅς 455 ὅς iii. 5 [RG], 6; Heb. vi. 10; ix. 20; Jas. ii. 5; 1 In. iii. 24; Jude 15; for other exx. see below; ἐν ὥρᾳ 7 οὐ γινώoxet, Mt. xxiv. 50; τῇ παραδύσει 9 παρεδώκατε, Mk. vii. 13 ; add, Lk. ii. 20; v. 9; ix. 435 xii. 46; xxiv. 25; Jn. xvii. 5; Acts ii. 22; xvii. 31; xx. 38; 2 Co. xii. 21; 2Th.i. 4; Rev. xviii. 6; ef. W. § 24,1; [B. as above]. Rarely attraction oceurs where the verb governs the dative [but see below]: thus, κατέναντι οὗ ἐπίστευσε θεοῦ for xarévavre θεοῦ, ᾧ ἐπίστευσε (See κατέναντι). Ro. iv. 17; φωνῆς, ἧς ἔκραξα (for 7 (al. ἥν, οἴ. W. 164 (154 sq.) Β. 287 (217)}7), Acts xxiv. 21, οἵ. Is. vi. 4; (7γετο δὲ καὶ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ τε πιστῶν, οἷς ἥδετο καὶ ὧν ἠπίστει πολλούς, for καὶ πολλοὺς τούτων, οἷς ἠπίστει, Xen. Cyr. ὅ, 4, 39; ὧν ἐγὼ ἐντετύχηκα οὐδείς; for οὐδεὶς τούτων, οἷς ἐντετ. Plato, Gorg. p. 509 ἃ.; Protag. p. 361 6.; derep.7 p.531e.; παρ᾽ ὧν βοηθεῖς, οὐδεμίαν λήψει…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

ος is found as a demonstrative pronoun in P Ryl II. 14415 (complaint of assault—a.D. 38) ὃς δὲ ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου ἄλογον ἀηδίαν μοι ἐπιχειρήσας παρεχρήσατό μοι πολλὰ καὶ ἄσχημα, ‘“whereupon he opposing me made a brutal and odious attack upon me and subjected me to much shameful mishandling” (Edd.): cf. Mk 15%, Jn 51. For ὃς μέν... ὃς δέ, “the one . . the other,” as in Mt 21° a/., see P Oxy IX. 1189? (c. A.D. 117) ἐπιστολὰς δύο ds ἔγραψα ἣν μὲν σοὶ ἣν δὲ Σαβείνῳ, and for ὃς δέ solétarium see PSI. IV. 313° (iii/iv A.D.) with the editor’s note. Ὃς ἄν (ἐάν) c. conj. = ‘‘ whosoever ” may be illustrated Ly P Par 4622 (B.c. 153) (= Witkowski*, p. 87), περὶ dv ἂν βούληι γράφε, P Grenf I. 30% (B.c. 103) ἐφ} οἷς ἂν οὖν ὑμῶν προσδέωνται, P Oxy IV. 743%% (B.C. 2) ἐν ols ἐὰν σοῦ προσδέηται, °° ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐὰν θέλῃς. For the comparative usage of ὃς ἄν and ὃς ἐάν, see Thackeray Gr. i. p. 68, cited s.v. ἄν.…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ὅς (hos, hē) — which.

ὅς, ἥ, ὅ,

genitive οὗ, ἧς, οὗ, etc.; dative plural οἷς, αἷς, οἷς, etc.: Epic dialect forms, genitive ὅου (probably replacing Οο) in the phrases ὅου κλέος οὔ ποτ᾽ ὀλεῖται [Refs 8th c.BC+]; feminine ἕης [Refs 8th c.BC+]; elsewhere only ἧς [Refs]; dative plural οἷς, οἷσι, ᾗς, ᾗσι (never αἷς or αἷσι in [Refs 8th c.BC+] — _pronoun_ used,

__A as demonstrative by the side of οὗτος, ὅδε, and the Article ὁ, ἡ, τό: in post-Homeric Gr. this use survived only in a few special phrases.

__B as a Relat. by the side of the Article ὅ, ἥ, τό (see. ὁ, ἡ, τό, c):—this demonstrative and Relat. pronoun must not be confounded with the Possess. ὅς, ἥ, ὅν. (With Gr. Relat. ὅς, ἥ, ὅ cf. Sanskrit Relat. yas, yā, yad, Lithuanian jis, ji (he, she), Oslav. i, ja, je (he, she…

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

ὅς ἥ ὅ

hos

he hay, and neuter

ho ho

probably a primary word (or perhaps a form of the article 3588); the

relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what,

that:--one, (an-, the) other, some, that, what, which, who(-m, -se),

etc. See also 3757.

see GREEK for 3588

see GREEK for 3757

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ὅς, ἥ, ὅ

Rel.pr.

who, which, what, that

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ὅς hos 1x

who, which, what, that, Mt. 1:16, 23, 25; in NT interrog. ἐφ’ ὅ, wherefore, why, Mt. 26:50; in NT ὅς μὲν ... ὅς δέ, for ὁ μὲν ... ὁ δέ, Mt. 21:35; 2 Cor. 2:16

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Rel-ASN — Relative pronoun · accusative · singular · neuter
accusative — the one it is done to — the object.
Agrees with anything else marked singular neuter.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

R-ASN Part of Speech: Relative pronoun Case: Accusative Number: Singular Gender: Neuter

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
25%which
which25% · 356×whom20% · 291×who17% · 238×that14% · 199×what8% · 117×whatever2% · 30×whose2% · 29×other renderings10% · 145×other renderings2% · 25×

1,430 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 60 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

What it does in the sentencefrom the Nestle 1904 treebank
object40%subject29%adverbial26%indirect object3%predicate3%

Parsing tells you the form; the treebank tells you the job. Counted over all 1,407 occurrences — a word inside a phrase counts towards whatever that phrase is doing.

The phrases it lives inwhat stands either side of it, across the New Testament
← what comes before
ἐν
ἡμέραa dayαὐτόςἵναin order that, s
καίand, even, also, nam
αὐτόςἔχωI have, hold, poυἱόςa son, descenden
αὐτός
λέγωI say, speakἀπόλλυμιI destroy, lose,δοῦλος (II)
διά
ἐκεῖνοςΧριστόςanointed, the Meαὐτός
εἰς
καίand, even, also,ἐγώοἰκίαa house, househo
ὅςthat1407×
what comes after →
εἰμίI am, exist
Article theμεθερμηνεύωI translate, intκαίand, even, also,
οὐNeg
εἰμίI am, existἔξεστι(ν)it is permitted,γινώσκωI come to know,
Article the
θεόςGod, a godυἱόςa son, descendenκύριοςlord, Lord, mast
καίand, even, also, nam
σύποιέωI do, makeαὐτός
δέbut, on the other ha
ἄνDisjἑξήκονταIndecτριάκονταIndec

branches are dictionary forms, so endings do not split one phrase into five; the number on a branch is how many times the New Testament takes that path

Concordanceὅς · 1,407× in the New Testament
Acts Luke John Matthew Romans Mark Hebrews Revelation 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Colossians Ephesians

22 inflected forms — one of the commonest words in the New Testament. Full distribution →

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
Outside the New Testamentthe same word in the Greek of its own century
Philo of Alexandria Josephus The Shepherd of Hermas Ignatius of Antioch Clement of Rome
Philo of AlexandriaOn the Creation of the World 33c. AD 40

ἵν’ οὖν μὴ αἰεὶ συμφερόμεναι στασιάζωσι καὶ πόλεμος ἀντ’ εἰρήνης ἐπικρατῇ τὴν ἀκοσμίαν ἐν κόσμῳ τιθείς, οὐ μόνον ἐχώρισε φῶς καὶ σκότος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅρους ἐν μέσοις ἔθετο διαστήμασιν, οἷς ἀνεῖρξε τῶν ἄκρων ἑκάτερον·

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1.argc. AD 75–95

πῶς τὸ Σοδομιτῶν ἔθνος θεὸς κατεστρέψατο χολωθεὶς αὐτοῖς ἐφ' οἷς ἡμάρτανον.

The Epistle of BarnabasThe Epistle of Barnabas 4.8c. AD 100

Μωϋσῆ Μωϋσῆ, κατάβηθι τὸ τάχος, ὅτι ἠνόμησεν ὁ λαός σου, οὓς ἐξήγαγες ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου, καὶ συνῆκεν Μωϋσῆς καὶ ἔριψεν τὰς δύο πλάκας ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ: καὶ συνετρίβη αὐτῶν ἡ διαθήκη, ἵνα ἡ τοῦ ἠγαπημένου Ἰησοῦ ἐγκατασφραγισθῇ εἰς τὴν καρδίαν ἡμῶν…

In the everyday Greek (the secular world, not the church)letters, leases, receipts — nobody writing one is trying to sound biblical
2nd c. AD 3rd c. AD 1st c. AD 3rd c. BC 2nd c. BC
P.Grenf. 1 32Pelusion103 BC

θεοῖς. καλῶς ποιήσεις διαλύσας Ἁρκοννῆσιν καὶ Ψενανοῦπιν καὶ … … ελθεῖν ἐπὶ προ … ους καὶ γραψάτωσαν ἡμῖν ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐσπούδασας διὰ τὰς ἡμῶν παρακλήσεις καὶ ση

P.Adl. 15Pathyris (?)101 BC

ἐδάνεισεν Ὧρος Ὥρου Ὥρωι Νεχούτου ὡς ἐτῶν ν μέσος μελίχρως ὑποκλαστὸς ἀναφάλακρος μακροπρόσωπος εὐθύριν οὖς ἀριστερὸν τετρημένον πυροῦ ἀρτάβας τεσσαράκοντα ἓξ κριθῆς ἑξήκοντα ἐννέα , ἴσους ἀτόκους, ὧν ἀπόδοσιν

P.Adl. 17Krokodilopolis (Pathyrites)100 BC

τῆς ἐπιγονῆς τῶν ἐκ Παθύρεως ὡς ἐτῶν ν μέσος μελίχρως τετανὸς ἀναφάλακρος μακροπρόσωπος εὐθύριν οὖς ἀριστερὸν τετρημένον χαλκοῦ ταλάντων πέντε . προπωλητὴς καὶ βεβαιωτὴς τῶν κατὰ τὴν ὠνὴν ταύτην

Or think you that in vain the Scripture speaks? With envy yearns the Spirit that he settled in us,
κατῴκισενkatoikeō he settled G6052 Verb · aorist · active · indicative · third person · singular
41× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
In plain English
Tyndale gloss
to dwell
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Verb-AAI-3S — Verb · aorist · active · indicative · third person · singular
aorist active indicative — a completed action, viewed as a whole.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

V-AAI-3S Part of Speech: Verb Tense: Aorist Voice: Active Mood: Indicative Person: third Number: Singular

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
100%he settled
he settled100% · 1×

1 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 1 different way. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

Or think you that in vain the Scripture speaks? With envy yearns the Spirit that he settled in us,
ἐνen in G1722 Preposition
2,743× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
about as common in James as anywhere else in the New Testament
In plain English
Meaning
This word is a preposition that means in, on, or among something. It's used in many places, like Matthew 7:3 and Luke 7:37, to describe a location or relationship. It can also mean by, with, or during.
Tyndale gloss
in/on/among
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The most frequent preposition in the New Testament, 2,752 occurrences. In, on, at, among, within — its force comes almost entirely from the word it is attached to. What it does here is put the events inside a community rather than at a distance: they were fulfilled among us.

Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ἐν,

prep, (the most freq. of all in NT), c. dat. (= Heb. בְּ, Lat. in, c. abl.).

Of place, c. dat. rei, pers., in, within, on, at, by, among: ἐν τ. πόλει, Lk 7:37; τ. οφθαλμῷ, Mt 7:3; τ. κοιλίᾳ, Mt 12:40; τ. ὄρει, II Pe 1:18; τ. θρόνῳ, Re 3:21; τ. δεξιᾷ τ. θεοῦ, Ro 8:34; ἐν ἡμῖν , Lk 1:1; of books, ἐν τ. βιβλίῳ, Ga 3:10; τ. νόμῳ, Mt 12:5, al.; ἐν τοῖς τ. Πατρός, in my Father's house (RV; cf. M, Pr., 103)…

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ἐν Χριστῷ, ἐν Χριστῷ ᾿Ιησοῦ, ἐν κυρίῳ, (οἴ. Fritzsche, Com. on Rom. vol. ii. p. 82 544.; W. 389 (364); Weiss, Bibl. Theol. des N. T. §§ 84 b., 149 c.), ingrafied as it were in Christ, in fellowship and union with Christ, with the Lord: Ro. iii. 24; vi. 11, 23; viii. 39; 1Co.i.4; 2 Co. iii. 14; Gal. ii. 4; iii. 14, 26, 28; v. 6; Eph.i. 3 [Rec. om. ἐν]; ii. 6 sq. 10,13; 1 Tim.i.14; 2 Tim.i. 1,13; ii-1; 1 Pet. iii. 16; v.10; στήκειν ἐν κυρίῳ, Phil. iv. 1; iva εὑρεθῶ ἐν αὐτῷ, that I may be found (by God and Christ) most intimately united to him, Phil. iii. 9; εἶναι ἐν Χριστῷ "Inc. 1 Co. i. 30; οἱ ἐν Xp. "Ina. Ro. viii. 1; 1 Pet. v. 14; κοιμᾶσθαι ἐν Χριστῷ, θνήσκειν ἐν κυρίῳ, to fall asleep, to die, mindful of relationship to Christ and confiding in it [W. u.s.], 1 Co. xv. 18; Rey. xiv. 13. Since such union with Christ is the basis on which actions and virtues rest, the expression is…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

ἐν 210 contract—time of Augustus) ἱμάτια γυναικεῖα ἐν apyv(plov) δραχμαῖς ἑκατόν, P Oxy IV. 7247 (A.D. 155) ἐξ ὧν ἔσχες τὴν πρώτην δόσιν ἐν δραχμαῖς τεσσαράκοντα, 70. I. 565 (A.D. 211) δανειζομένη. .. ἀργύριον ἔντοκον ἐν δραχμαῖς ἑξακισχειλίαις, and P Grenf II. 778 (iii/iv a.p.) (=Selections, Pp. 120) το]ὺς μισθοὺς. . ὄντας ἐν δραχμαῖς τριακοσίαις τεσσαράκοντα. Similar are P Oxy IV. 7084 (a.p. 188) yopou . . ἐν (1vpod)(apraBats) ’B, BGU 1. 724 (a.p. 191) ἐξέκοψαν πλεῖστον τόπον ἐν ἀρούραις πέντε: with which may be compared Eph 2!° τὸν νόμον τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐν δόγμασιν, “consisting in.” In P Lond 9215 (ii/iii a.p.) (ΞΞ 111. P- 134) γεγονέναι ἐν ἀμπέλῳ = ‘to be planted with vines.” A predicative use of ἐν is seen in P Hib I. 421° (B.c. 262) δώσομεν Λευκίωι ἐν ὀφειλήματι, ‘asa debt,” P Petr I. 1215 (cf. II. p. 22) ὅσα δὲ ᾿Αξιοθέα προσενήνεγκται ἐμ φερνῆι, “ἐᾷς dowry,” and P Tebt I. 120 135…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

ἐν (en) — in/on/among.

ἐν,

poetry ἐνί, εἰν, εἰνί [Refs 8th c.BC+], forms used by Epic dialect and Lyric Poets as the metre requires, but only as falsa lectio in Trag., εἰν [Refs 5th c.BC+] ἰν [Refs]

__PREP. WITH DAT. AND ACC. Radical sense, in, into.

__A WITH DAT.

__A.I OF PLACE,

__A.I.1 in, νήσῳ ἐν ἀμφιρύτῃ [Refs 8th c.BC+]; with names of cities or islands, as ἐν Ἀθήνῃς, ἐν Τροίῃ, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; where ἐν is used, it = in the district of.., ὲν Ἐλευσῖνι [Refs] in my arms, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἐν αὑτῷ εἶναι to be in one's senses, be oneself, ἔτ᾽ ἐν σαυτῷ (variant -τοῦ) γενοῦ [Refs 5th c.BC+]

__A.I.1.b ἐν τοῖς ἰχθύσιν in the fish-market, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; so ἐν τοῖν δυοῖν ὀβολοῖν ἐθεώρουν ἄν in the two-obol seats, [Refs 4th…

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἐν

en

a primary preposition denoting (fixed) position (in place, time or

state), and (by implication) instrumentality (medially or

constructively), i.e. a relation of rest (intermediate between 1519

and 1537); "in," at, (up-)on, by, etc.:--about, after, against, +

almost, X altogether, among, X as, at, before, between, (here-)by (+

all means), for (... sake of), + give self wholly to, (here-)in(-to,

-wardly), X mightily, (because) of, (up-)on, (open-)ly, X outwardly,

one, X quickly,

X shortly, (speedi-)ly, X that, X there(-in, -on),

through(-out), (un-)to(-ward), under, when, where(-with), while,

with(-in). Often used in compounds, with substantially the same

import; rarely with verbs of motion, and then not to indicate

direction, except (elliptically) by a separate (and different)

preposition.

see GREEK for 1519

see GREEK for 1537

Dodson Greek-English Lexicon

ἐν

Prep.

in, on, among

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἐν en 2x

followed by the dat., in, Mt. 8:6; Mk. 12:26; Rev. 6:6,; upon, Lk. 8:32; among, Mt. 11:11; before, in the presence of, Mk. 8:38; in the sight, estimation of, 1 Cor. 14:11; before, judicially, 1 Cor. 6:2; in, of state, occupation, habit, Mt. 21:22; Lk. 7:25; Rom. 4:10; in the case of, Read the full entry →

Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones

ἐν

e)nprepe)ni/prep ei)nprep ei)ni/prep in, among. c. dat.

Lat. in.

PREP. WITH DAT.:

OF PLACE

in, ἐν νήσῳ, ἐν Τροίῃ, etc., Hom., etc.:—elliptic, ἐν Ἀλκινόοιο (sc. οἴκῳ) Od.; εἰν Ἀΐδαο Il.; ἐν παιδοτρίβου at the school of the training master, Ar.

in, upon, ἐν οὔρεσι Hom., etc.

in the number of, amongst, ἐν Δαναοῖς, etc., Hom.; and with Verbs of ruling, ἄρχειν, ἀνάσσειν ἐν πολλοῖς to be first or lord among many, i. e. over them, id. Hom.; cf. ὁ, τό B. III. 3.

in one's hands, within one's reach or power, Lat. penes, Hom., etc.; ἐν σοὶ γάρ ἐσμεν Soph.; ἐν τῷ θεῷ τὸ τέλος ἦν Dem.

in respect of, ἐν γήρᾳ in point of age, Soph.

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep — Preposition
preposition — its sense depends on the case of the word it governs.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

PREP PREPosition

Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

A principal thing to notice about this preposition, which in the King James Version represents about 16 Hebrew and as many Greek words and prepositions, is that, in hundreds of cases (especially in the Old Testament, but frequently also in the New Testament) in the Revised Version (British and American) the rendering is changed to more exact forms ("to," "unto," "by," "upon," "at," "with," "among," "for," "throughout," etc.; compare e.g. Ge 6:16; 13:8; 17:7,9,12; 18:1; Ex 8:17; Le 1:9, etc.); while, nearly as often, "in" is substituted for divergent forms of the King James Version (e.g. Ge 2:14; 17:11; 31:54; 40:7; 49:17; Ex…

Across the New Testament27 of 27 books
MtMkLkJnAcRo1Co2CoGaEphPhpCol1Th2Th1Ti2TiTitPhmHebJas1Pe2Pe1Jn2Jn3JnJudRev
Or think you that in vain the Scripture speaks? With envy yearns the Spirit that he settled in us,
ἡμῖν,egō us, G3165 Personal pronoun · first person · dative · plural
1,872× in the NT scale is logarithmic — ὁ, the commonest word, appears 19,867×
In plain English
Tyndale gloss
I/we
Greek lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the NT

ἐγώ, gen, etc., ἐμοῦ, ἐμοί, ἐμέ (enclitic μου, μοι, με), pl. ἡμεῖς, -ῶν, -ῖν, -ᾶς,

pers. pron.

I.

The nom. is usually emphatic, when expressed as subjc, as in Mt 3:11, Mk 1:8, Lk 3:16, al. But often there is no apparent emphasis, as Mt 10:16, Jo 10:17; ἰδοὺ ἐ. (= Heb. הִנֵּנִי, cf. I Ki 3:8), Ac 9:10; ἐ. (like Heb. אֲנִי), I am, Jo 1:23 (LXX), Ac 7:32 (LXX).

Read the full entry →
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament from a scan

ἐγώ, gen. ἐμοῦ, enclitic pod; dat. ἐμοί, enclitic μοί; acc. ἐμέ, enclitic μέ; plur. ἡμεῖς, ete.; personal pronoun, J. 1. The nominatives ἐγώ and ἡμεῖς, when joined to a verb, generally have force and emphasis, or indicate antithesis, as Mt. iii. 11; Mk.i. 8; Lk. iii. 16 (ἐγὼ pev... ὁ δέ); Mt. iii. 14 (ἐγὼ... ἔχω, καὶ σύν ; V. 22, 28, 39, and often; ἡμεῖς, contrasted with God, Mt. vi. 12; ἡμεῖς x. of Φαρισαῖοι, Mt. ix. 14; cf. W. § 22,6. But sometimes they are used where there is no emphasis or antithesis in them, as Mt. x. 16; Jn. x. 17; and in many edd. in Mk. i. 2; Lk. vii. 27; οἵ. B. §129, 12. ἰδοὺ ἐγώ, 1397, behold me, hereamT: Acts ix.10 (1S. iii. 8). ἐγώ, like 38, Jam: Jn. i. 23; Acts vii. 32, [ef. W.585 (544); B. 125 (109)]. 2. The enclitic (and monosyllabic) gen., dat., and ace. are connected with nouns, verbs, adverbs, but not with prepositions: ἔμπροσθέν pov, Jn. i. 15; ὀπίσω…

Read the full entry →
Moulton & Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek Testament from a scan

ἐγώ. Deissmann (ZAZ p. 134 ff.) has drawn attention to the parallels to the solemn use of the first personal pronoun in the Fourth Gospel that may be adduced from inscriptions and magical texts. Thus in an inscr. in honour of Isis from Ios, written in ii/iii A.p., the contents of which are preChristian, we find —Elows ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ τ[ύρανν]ος πάσης χόρας.. ἐγὼ νόμους ἀνθρώποις ἐθέμην . . ἐγώ εἰμι Kpdvov θυγάτηρ πρεσβυτάτη α΄. And similarly in the magical papyrus P Lond 4645 (iv/a.p.) (=I. p. 69) ἐγώ εἰμι ὃ ἀκέφαλος δαίμων . . ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀλήθεια ὁ μεισῶν ἀδικήματα γείνεσθαι ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ α΄. With the construction of the phrase τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί ; in Jn 24 we may compare BGU IV. 1141°8 (n.c. 14) ἐδίδουν αὐτῷ διαστολὰς μηδὲν αὐτῶι καὶ ἐκείνωι εἶναι : for its meaning see Ε΄. C. Burkitt in 77:5 xiii. p- 594f., where it is rendered, ‘‘ What have I and thou to do with that ?” On the difficult…

Read the full entry →
Liddell-Scott-Jones, full edition

μέ (me) — me.

ἐγώ,

I: pronoun of the first person:—Epic dialect mostly ἐγών before vowels (so in Doric dialect, before consonants, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Boeotian dialect ἱών [Refs 2nd c.AD+]:— strengthened ἔγωγε, I at least, for my part, indeed, for myself (more frequently in Attic dialect than in [Refs 8th c.BC+]: Doric dialect ἐγώνγα [Refs 7th c.BC+]: Boeotian dialect ἱώνγα [Refs 6th c.BC+]; ἱώνει [Refs]; ἰώγα [Refs 5th c.BC+]: Laconian dialect and Tarentum dialect ἐγώνη, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]

II. oblique cases from a different root, genitive ἐμοῦ, enclitic μο; Ionic dialect and Epic dialect ἐμέο, ἐμεῦ, μευ, also ἐμέθεν [Refs 8th c.BC+]; Aeolic dialect ἔμεθεν [Refs 7th c.BC+]; Doric dialect ἐμέος, ἐμεῦς, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; Boeotian dialect ἐμοῦς [Refs 6th c.BC+] — _dative_ ἐμοί, enclitic μοι (which may be compared with Sanskrit…

Read the full entry →
Strong's Greek Dictionary

ἐγώ

me

a shorter (and probably originally) from of 1691; me:--I, me, my.

see GREEK for 1691

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

ἐγώ egō 2x

I, gen., ἐμοῦ [μου], dat., ἐμοί [μοι], acc., ἐμέ [με]

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Pron-1DP — Personal pronoun · first person · dative · plural
dative — to, for, with — the one it is done to or by.
Agrees with anything else marked plural.
Robinson's Morphological Analysis Codes

P-1DP Part of Speech: Personal pronoun Person: first Case: Dative Number: Plural

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

US, pronoun objective case of we.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Us , pron. [OE. us, AS. s; akin to OFries. & OS. s, D. ons, G. uns, Icel. & Sw. oss, Dan. os, Goth. uns, L. nos we, us, Gr. we, Skr. nas us. . Cf. Nostrum, Our.] The persons speaking, regarded as an object; ourselves; — the objective case of we. See We. “Tell us a tale.” Chaucer.

Give us this day our daily bread. Matt. vi. 11.

Us, pron. oblique case of we

Into Englishhow translators actually render it
35%us
us35% · 717×me32% · 644×mine20% · 402×we ourselves6% · 124×my2% · 45×other renderings5% · 97×

2,029 occurrences in the New Testament, rendered 27 different ways. The commonest English word for it is not its meaning — it is one translator's decision, repeated.

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

Everything we make is available for free because of a generous community of supporters.

Donate